Could a blood test help more lung cancer patients get drugs that are targeted to the genetic weaknesses of their tumors? Yes, according to summary results of a 282-patient clinical trial being made available Wednesday. The result is a boon for Guardant Health, the San Francisco-based startup that sells the test, Guardant360, which is a… Read More »

An experimental gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) developed by Novartis AG would be worth up to $900,000, according to an independent U.S. nonprofit organization that reviews the value of drugs and medical treatments. The Boston-based Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) made the determination using a commonly cited cost-effectiveness threshold that values… Read More »

Cervical cancer could potentially be eliminated as a major public health threat in the majority of the world by the end of this century, a new study says. According to the researchers, more widespread use of the human papillomavirus (HPV)vaccine, combined with increased cervical cancer screenings, could prevent millions of cases of the disease worldwide…. Read More »

Drug makers and federal regulators dropped the ball in tracking the use of a potentially deadly fast-acting form of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, putting thousands of patients at risk of a fatal overdose, a new study claims. Transmucosal Immediate-Release Fentanyl (TIRF) drugs are approved for use in cancer patients who’ve developed tolerance against the around-the-clock… Read More »

The way doctors typically approach kidney cancer treatment could be evolving. Two separate studies published Saturday in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that renal cell cancer patients had significantly better outcomes when their treatment combined the targeted therapy drug axitinib, or Inlyta, with an immunotherapy — one study used pembrolizumab, or Keytruda, and… Read More »

Dive Brief: Under a proposal released Friday, Medicare would cover CAR-T cell therapies through a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pathway known as Coverage with Evidence Development. The proposal holds a mix of provisions, including that patients must be monitored for at least two years post-treatment. Hospitals administering CAR-T therapy, whether through inpatient or outpatient… Read More »

Compounded topical pain creams work no better than placebo creams and should not be used to treat chronic pain, according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center enrolled nearly 400 people with chronic neuropathic, joint or muscle pain in the study. Some… Read More »

Cancers fueled by obesity are on the rise among young adults in the United States and appearing at increasingly younger ages, according to an analysis released Monday by the American Cancer Society. The study, published in The Lancet Public Health, examined data on 12 obesity-related cancers between 1995 and 2014, as well as 18 common… Read More »

Modernizing and streamlining claim adjudication has never been on the back burner for healthcare payers. Rather, they’re continually faced with the challenge of driving efficiency and innovation while simultaneously maintaining payment integrity as the claim processing environment increases in complexity. With modern-day technology at the helm of the healthcare system, it only makes sense to… Read More »

By: Jason Marcewicz  |  Content and Communications Specialist | Advanced Medical Strategies 2018 Specialty Drug Trends • 44 specialty drug approvals in 2018 • 59 total FDA–approved novel drugs in 2018 • Branded specialty drugs account for roughly 1-3% of branded drug prescriptions filled, but compriseapproximately 30% of total branded drug spending • Specialty drug… Read More »