SAN DIEGO—The 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting kicked off on Nov. 4 with a rousing presentation by Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). A terrorist attack on U.S. soil, hurricane, cyberattack and pandemic were the four scenarios played out in late 2016, when NIAID conducted a tabletop…
(Reuters)—A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Thursday called a November 7 hearing on the legitimacy of an agreement between drugmaker Allergan Plc and a Native American tribe intended to shield patents from administrative review. The House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on intellectual property, chaired by Republican Representative Darrell Issa of California, said in a statement…
(Reuters)—AmerisourceBergen Corp said it expects stubbornly low generic drug prices, which have plagued drugmakers and wholesalers, to not deteriorate further next year, and brushed off concerns about Amazon’s possible entry into the industry. The drug distributor ended its fiscal year with a quarterly loss as it set aside $575 million for legal costs for a…
In October, the FDA approved ustekinumab to treat patients 12 years or older who have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis…
(Reuters)—A panel convened by U.S. President Donald Trump to tackle the opioid crisis called on Wednesday for more treatment programs, tighter prescribing guidelines and additional drug courts to help reduce overdose deaths. The commission, led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, said the recommendations would require funding by Congress but did not recommend an amount….
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—As Americans begin signing up for Obamacare health insurance plans on Wednesday, experts expect reduced participation as a bitter political debate clouds the program’s future. Republicans in Congress have repeatedly failed to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, which they have said drives up costs for consumers and interferes with personal…
WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters)—Puerto Rico, still reeling from Hurricane Maria, is asking the Trump administration and U.S. lawmakers for help in staving off a Medicaid crisis that has put a quarter of the island’s residents at risk of losing medical care. The territory, which has grappled for years with shortfalls in funding of its Medicaid healthcare…
(Reuters)—New Jersey on Tuesday sued Purdue Pharma LP, accusing the OxyContin maker of contributing to the state’s opioid crisis through deceptive marketing to doctors and patients, including the elderly and the “opioid-naive.” Christopher Porrino, the New Jersey attorney general, faulted what he called a decade-long marketing campaign of “almost inconceivable callousness and irresponsibility, and said…
The ACR is aware of the shortage of intravenous saline solutions produced in Puerto Rico that is beginning to emerge across the U.S. and in rheumatology practices. In September, Hurricanes Irma and Maria wreaked havoc on the island, wiping out the island’s power grid and greatly hindering saline solution production. Puerto Rico produces about 10%…
Almost one year into my term on the ACR’s Political Action Committee, RheumPAC, I’m looking back and reflecting on what led me here. My early career was focused on learning the basics of clinical practice and building relationships with healthcare providers. Shortly after I completed my fellowship, I established goals to improve access to care…