Peter Wehrwein

The DEA is hoping to expand health care accessibility while also safeguarding from incorrectly prescribing medication.

Senators lobbed harsh criticisms at pharmacy benefit managers during a legislative hearing.

The founder of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company called drug pricing "insane" during a fireside chat at the Association of Accessible Medicines annual meeting.

Sixteen states have banned a pharmacy benefit management practice that involves not counting the value of drug copay assistance from manufacturers toward patient deductibles.

Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. have indicated that they are going to price their shots at between $110 and $130. The shots should still be free to individuals because of rules barring out-of-pocket costs for such vaccinations.

Spending on specialty drugs fueled a 11% increase in Medicaid drug spending from 2020 to 2021, says Magellan's seventh annual Medicaid Pharmacy Trend Report.

Biosimilars will have limited effect on the oncology drug expenditures, according to IQVIA. Spending on obesity drugs may increase tenfold, depending on guidelines and payer coverage.

Earlier results suggesting that fluvoxamine might be an effective treatment were from trials conducted earlier in the pandemic when vaccines weren’t available and other variants were circulating.

Researchers speculate that the disparities among those with private insurance coverage may reflect differences in overcoming hurdles to access, such as prior authorization.

Short-term manufacturing problems are happening as the demand for Adderall and other stimulant medications for ADHD have increased. Data from Arrive Health show a marked increase in ADHD medication prescriptions for people in their 30s.

Israeli researchers find more than fivefold risk of developing systemic sclerosis among people with vitiligo.

Because it is ‘off the shelf,’ Tecvayli may have advantages over the CAR-T therapies, which are custom made for each patient and involve harvesting the patient's T cells.

Findings by researchers at Epic, the electronic health record company, show that the benefits extend to people ages 50-64.

The announcement of positive phase 3 results for the investigational Alzheimer’s disease drug comes against a backdrop of Aduhelm flaming out. Both drugs are predicated on the theory that Alzheimer’s is caused by beta-amyloid deposits.

A recent review article lists six other JAK inhibitors that might be used as treatments for vitiligo in addition to ruxolitinib, the active ingredient in recently approved Opzelura.

The harm caused by weight-loss drugs have overwhelmed any benefit they may have. The repurposed diabetes drugs like Wegovy (semaglutide) have a strong safety profile.

Findings show more than one-third of infected preschoolers are asymptomatic. The results call into question COVID-19 prevention strategies based on screening young children for symptoms.

The quest to understand what leads to long COVID continues, with a new cross-sectional study, considered one of best on long COVID so far.

A joint statement from the two Democrats senators says prescription drug reform would save the federal government $288 billion over the next 10 years.

Researchers calculated that buying 77 generic drugs at prices being charged by Mark Cuban’s online pharmacy prices would have significantly lowered Medicare spending on those drugs.

Epic research suggests that like COVID-19, flu and other viral pneumonias can result in long-term symptoms like fatigue and brain fog. Why that might be is open question.

The American College of Cardiology and patient groups pushed the PBM to reverse its decision to take Eliquis off its formularies. CVS Caremark says it changed course after negotiating a lower net price.

Recent research has shown less than 1% of patients at high risk for experiencing severe COVID-19 who were treated with Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) experienced a second bout of COVID-19.

The Federal Trade Commission says its inquiry “will shed light on” clawbacks, potentially unfair audits, rebates and other business practices of the pharmacy benefits management (PBM) industry. Today’s announcement says the commission will be requiring information from the six largest PBMs.

Findings in show that new formulations were more likely for blockbuster drugs and drugs that received accelerated approval. Proxy measures of clinical usefulness and other elements of therapeutic value were not associated with new formulations.

Recent treatment may affect the antibody response, particularly among those with hematologic cancers.

Some evidence suggests that people with HIV may be more likely to develop a severe case of COVID-19 and antiretroviral therapy may provide some protection against infection.

Administered as an injection every other month, Apretude gives people at risk of contracting HIV a PrEP alternative to taking daily pills.

The FDA approved efgartigimod, which is being sold under the brand name Vyvgart and could foment price competition with Soliris (eculizumab) and other treatments usually reserved for severe or refractory cases.