Wider use of prescription generic drugs could save Medicare nearly $2 billion a year, researchers say. The new analysis of Medicare Part D prescription drug claims for 2017 used a random 20% of beneficiaries, 224 drugs with one or more generic substitutes and at least 1,000 claims. Medicare Part D accounts for roughly one-third of… read on > read on >
Two new studies suggest that the jury is still out on whether the arthritis drug tocilizumab helps those with severe COVID-19. Both reports were published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. The first, from scientists at the University of California, San Diego, found tocilizumab didn’t improve outcomes or reduce the risk of death… read on > read on >
People with kidney failure related to sickle cell disease are less likely to receive a transplant than those without sickle cell disease, but it could be life-saving for them, a new study finds. Sickle cell disease is a risk factor for kidney failure, and adults with sickle cell-related kidney failure who are on long-term dialysis… read on > read on >
Researchers have identified 44 new genetic variants associated with glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness. They say their findings could provide new targets to treat the common eye disease. In their study, the international team compared the genes of more than 34,000 people with glaucoma and more than 349,000 people without the incurable eye condition.… read on > read on >
When temperatures rise, people with multiple sclerosis need to keep cool. Heat sensitivity is a hallmark of the central nervous system disorder. So, what happens when warm weather spikes become more frequent because of climate change? More MS patients end up in the emergency room. A new study found that during periods of unusually warm… read on > read on >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the emergency use of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot coronavirus vaccine, adding a third weapon to the arsenal the United States is building to battle the pandemic. The overall effectiveness of the J&J vaccine in protecting recipients against any case of COVID-19 (66%) is not as high as… read on > read on >
Don’t skip your breast cancer screening mammogram. This is the overarching message of an extended study of more than a half-million Swedish women. Those who missed even one recommended screening mammogram were more likely to die from breast cancer, the study found. The new findings — which appear March 2 in the journal Radiology —… read on > read on >
As if attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) isn’t already tough on a child, new research suggests the condition might also raise the odds for a psychotic disorder later in life. But parents should not panic. “I would say that this finding should not be an alarm for parents and people who have ADHD, because the absolute risk… read on > read on >
TUESDAY, March 2, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — Jill Hollander was 9 when, during a visit to her cardiologist with her parents, he asked her to step outside so he could speak alone with her parents. Nonsense, she thought. “I want to be in the room too,” she told them. “It’s about me, and… read on > read on >
For Morgan Compton, 7, who has attended school remotely for nearly a year, the stress of the pandemic manifests itself in meltdowns. On one particular day, Morgan “threw a fit and decided to go upstairs,” said her mother, Tracy Compton. Hearing the sound of his daughter’s tears, Compton’s husband, John, who also works from home,… read on > read on >
