Practice Management News

There was no significant increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children and adolescents between 2014 and 2016, according to data recently published in JAMA.

The FDA approved 46 drugs in 2017, tying a record set for approvals in 2015. Cancer medications led the way, with 16 oncology and 11 hematology drugs approved. There were also 11 approvals for medications to treat infectious diseases, along with drugs to treat a cross-section of conditions, from cardiovascular disease to rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s disease to constipation. Final decisions were coming through right up until the end of December. An important question, then, is whether this trend will continue into 2018 and beyond. Another is why this explosion in approvals occurred at all. Perhaps another is how practicing clinicians can keep pace, with nearly an approval a week coming through.

Just 35% of older adults taking between one and five medications talked to someone about drug interactions in the past 2 years, according to findings recently released from the National Poll on Healthy Aging.

The emerging importance of the role the gut microbiome plays in human health continued to dominate headlines throughout 2017. This year, microbiome therapeutics under development for conditions like Clostridium difficile infection, inflammatory bowel disease and liver disease, modulating the microbiota with diet, and the advances discussed at the NIH microbiome conference ranked among the most widely read articles in our Microbiome Resource Center.

Patients receiving medication-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder who used cannabis frequently had stronger associations between symptoms of anxiety or depression and pain, according to findings recently published in Addictive Behaviors.

As direct-acting antivirals become more affordable, they also become accessible to more patients with hepatitis C, without treatment delays. These powerful drugs, which were once provided only to the sickest of HCV patients, are now a treatment option for HCV cases at all stages.

With advances in technology and technique, endoscopy has begun to play an ever-increasing role in the detection and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, esophageal cancers, and other GI conditions. For patients, endoscopic procedures represent a less invasive option with no need for general anesthesia, reduced hospital time, and a faster return to normal daily life.

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and United Network for Organ Sharing board of directors approved a set of policy amendments designed to reduce geographic differences in liver transplant access and distribution.

Congress approved a stopgap budget last night that includes $2.85 billion in funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program through March, Reuters reported. Funding for CHIP had run out about 3 months ago, and, according to AMA, the HHS was making emergency payments to keep the program running.

Pentax Medical announced it has launched a new duodenoscope with a disposable distal cap.