Healthcare providers express cash flow concerns under new 340B rebate model
Editor's Note Healthcare providers could experience significant cash flow and operational changes under a new voluntary pilot program that fundamentally alters how the nation's second-largest drug payment program operates, according to an August 11 article in Modern Healthcare. As detailed in the article, The Health Resources and Services Administration announced…
NIH staff revolt, new analysis affirm the critical role and vulnerability of US academic science
Editor's Note Several hundred National Institutes of Health (NIH) employees have issued a rare internal rebuke of the agency’s current leadership under Director Jay Bhattacharya, STAT June 9 reports. The open letter, dubbed the “Bethesda Declaration,” criticizes abrupt Trump-era policy changes, including the cancellation of health equity and LGBTQ+ research,…
High drug manufacturing costs threaten hospital-led pharmacy expansion
Editor's Note Hospitals are ramping up in-house pharmacy operations to boost revenue and improve care, but high US manufacturing costs continue to stall a broader federal effort to reshore drug production, Modern Healthcare June 5 reports. As detailed in the article, an aging, medically complex population is driving demand for…
Market volatility threatens hospitals’ liquidity as tariff-driven costs rise
Editor's Note Tariff-fueled market volatility is jeopardizing the investment returns that nonprofit hospitals rely on to bolster liquidity, manage debt, and weather ongoing operational headwinds, according to an April 16 report in Fierce Healthcare. As detailed in the article, hospitals face a dual threat: higher direct costs on supplies and…
UnitedHealth’s dominant growth forges ahead amid intensifying antitrust scrutiny
Editor's Note In addition to the uptick in acquiring outpatient facilities since 2023, UnitedHealth Group quietly acquired or created more than 250 subsidiaries last year, expanding its already vast network of services comprising a major health insurer, physician practices, a pharmacy benefit manager, and various other healthcare ventures, STAT March…
GOP-controlled Senate to prioritize drug pricing, health agency reform
Editor's Note Republicans secured a 51-seat majority in the US Senate after victories in Ohio and West Virginia, promising a power shift that will see GOP leaders shaping decisions on pressing issues like drug pricing, public health agency reform, and rural healthcare. On November 6, STAT published an overview of…
Study: Nearly 10% of patients on prescription opioids develop dependency or disorder
Editor's Note Research reveals nearly 10% of patients treated with prescription opioid painkillers develop opioid dependency or opioid use disorder (OUD), Healio reported on August 13. Additionally, nearly 30% of patients exhibit signs and symptoms indicating potential OUD. Originally published in the journal Addiction, the data are from a systematic…
FDA approves single-dose propofol amid drug shortage
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Amneal Pharmaceuticals' Abbreviated New Drug Application for single-dose vials of propofol injectable emulsion, Anesthesiology News August 23 reports. The newly approved formulations include 200 mg/20 mL, 500 mg/50 mL, and 1,000 mg/100 mL vials. Propofol is widely used for anesthesia and…
Medicare drug price negotiations to save $6 billion in first year
Editor's Note Medicare’s first negotiations on 10 top-selling prescription drugs for older Americans will save the US government $6 billion in the first year, according to an August 15 article in Reuters. Enabled by President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, negotiations for drugs used by Medicare—which covers 66 million…
AAMI updates guidelines on radiation sterilization validation, single-use systems control
Editor's Note In a new guidance document for manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals, The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has released a new guidance document updating best practices for radiation sterilization validation and routine control of single-use systems. The document, AAMI CR513:2024; Guidance on radiation sterilization validation and…
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