Image-guided therapies improve health outcomes for patients, but greater pools of data are needed to support future development. Real-world data (RWD) can be used to provide a wealth of data related to image-guided therapies, supplementing classic randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and improving […]
Amgen Facing Stiff Resistance in US Supreme Court Patent Case
Amgen’s odds with the US Supreme Court are looking grim in its case against Sanofi-Regeneron regarding its “genus patent” over antibody-based PCSK9 inhibitors. Amgen maintains its patent covers a wide group of antibodies for the drug target and should be expanded to cover all possible permutations. […]
The Growing Impact of Health Economics
The field of health economics has existed for decades but has been brought to new prominence with recent policy decisions and the COVID-19 pandemic. In a new Health Tech Zone article, learn about the basics of health economics, how different stakeholders are leveraging it, and the growing impact the […]
Using Z Codes to Turn Social Determinants of Health Insights into Better Healthcare
Research in recent years has identified several non-medical factors that greatly influence health outcomes, referred to as social determinants of health (SDoH). However, health equity gains from these insights are held back, in part, by many providers not using the appropriate Z codes to record and […]
Study Finds Most Employers Provide Multiple Options for Health Insurance Plans
Results from Alight’s 2023 Benefits and Enrollment Trends report show that the vast majority of employers who provide health insurance give employees multiple options for plans. Over 90% offered more than one plan and three-quarters put money into employee health savings accounts for those with […]
NHS England Reveals Plan to Accelerate Diagnosis and Care for Rare Brain Disorders
NHS England has announced it is developing a new service to help fast-track diagnoses and care for people with a set of rare genetic brain diseases called inherited white matter disorders (IWMDs). Patients will be reviewed by a group of specialists and undergo genetic testing, getting […]
US House Energy and Commerce Committee Moves QALY Ban to Full House Vote
The US House Energy and Commerce Committee voted on Friday, March 24th, to advance a bill to a full House vote that would ban the use of quality adjusted life years (QALY) in therapeutic value-assessments. Some representatives argue that the bill is necessary, alleging the metric discriminates […]
US FDA Releases Draft Guidance on Oncology Clinical Trials Seeking Accelerated Approval
In a new draft guidance, the US FDA proposes two strategies to make clinical trials for cancer drugs better support accelerated approval applications for cancer drugs. Such applications are expected to be followed by confirmatory studies that often don’t materialize or yield negative results. The […]
Moving to Eliminate Health Inequities
Despite years of concerted efforts by providers and policy makers, patients from marginalized backgrounds still face significant health disparities. In a new Med Page Today article, Maulik S. Joshi, DrPH, lays out three ways that care systems can enact changes to make health inequity a “never […]
Provider Groups Call on US CMS for Hybrid Payment Model
Almost 30 provider groups have written a letter asking the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement a hybrid system that mixes fee-for-service and prospective payments for primary care. According to the letter, doing so would incentivize primary care physicians […]
