Author: Peter

An Israeli government committee gave an initial nod...for the export of medical marijuana in what could be a windfall...Israel is widely regarded as one of the world leaders in medical marijuana research, even though the local market is small. Only 23,000 people have Health Ministry permits to purchase medical cannabis from nine licensed suppliers, creating a market of $15 million to $20 million at most...Saul Kaye, CEO of iCAN, a private cannabis research hub in Israel, said there are about 50 Israeli medical marijuana companies active in many aspects of the industry, from agriculture to delivery devices, such as inhalers...Last month, Israel moved toward decriminalizing small-scale personal use of marijuana and authorities are supportive of research...

A fellowship program being developed at Touro University Nevada aims to put a dent in the doctor shortage locally while also providing more skillful care to Southern Nevada’s senior population...The school’s geriatrics fellowship program will fill a critical gap as the only such program in Southern Nevada when it launches in July, said Dr. John J. Dougherty, dean of Touro’s College of Osteopathic Medicine...The one-year-program, which is recruiting two fellows this year but will grow to four positions in 2018, was approved about two years ago through a national governing medical board... funding was a portion of the $10 million in graduate medical education funding set aside in Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budget for “attracting, educating and retaining” qualified new doctors in Nevada...Statistics suggest that people who complete their graduate medical education in Nevada are more likely to stay and practice here, which is one of the key reasons for the push to increase local residencies and fellowships...A fellowship program being developed at Touro University Nevada aims to put a dent in the doctor shortage locally while also providing more skillful care to Southern Nevada’s senior population...

• After an unusually slow year for new drug approvals—the FDA greenlighted just 22 meds in 2016—it remains to be seen whether drugmakers can do much better in 2017. One thing’s for sure, though: No matter what total the industry tallies up this year, the crop will bring some would-be blockbusters and market disrupters.

  At the top of the list...is Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the Roche multiple sclerosis drug that’s promising to shake things up in more ways than one...

  Sanofi and Regeneron hot-shot Dupixent (dupilumab) could make a big splash in severe atopic dermatitis, assuming payers don’t get in the companies’ way.

  Ditto for Biogen's Spinraza, which in December became the first FDA-approved product to treat spinal muscular atrophy—but whose high sticker could raise eyebrows at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening pricing action.

  Tesaro and Neurocrine are looking for their first-ever FDA approvals, in breast cancer pill niraparib and tardive dyskinesia therapy Ingrezza, respectively.

  ...Kite Pharma is aiming to get the first-ever CAR-T cancer drug to market, with a candidate, KTE-C19, that the oncology community will be watching closely as the next big thing in immunotherapies.

  Novartis’ ribociclib...which aims to challenge Pfizer’s Ibrance in the CDK 4/6 breast cancer space.

  ...semaglutide, Novo Nordisk's weekly GLP-1 drug, a would-be successor to the company's blockbuster Victoza…

It’s an edict that comes out every autumn in many hospitals: If health care workers don’t get a flu shot, they will face consequences. Some make vaccinations a condition of employment. Others require unvaccinated staff to wear surgical masks near patients for weeks during flu season...But a new study is calling into question the scientific evidence underpinning these increasingly common hospital policies — and could fuel challenges to the contentious orders...The study...concludes that the research used to justify mandatory flu shots for health sector workers is flawed, and that the policies cannot plausibly produce the benefits that had widely been assumed...the bottom line of our paper is to say there is no valid scientific evidence, even now, underpinning enforced health care worker immunizations...trying to mandate that health care workers take the flu vaccine is well-intentioned, but is taking away resources and the focus on what our main priority needs to be, which is getting a better influenza vaccine...

A Reno doctor arrested on allegations he participated in an opioid drug ring is the subject of a newly filed complaint by a Nevada medical board alleging 74 violations of the state’s Medical Practice Act...family physician Robert Rand, who was arrested in San Francisco in April, inappropriately treated patients by committing malpractice, violating opioid prescribing standards and engaging in unprofessional conduct, among other accusations...Rand, whose medical license remains active, is currently behind bars, according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office...

Laura Joszt, assistant managing editor at The American Journal of Managed Care. Welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

Teva is eager to start moving in the right direction after a particularly rocky 2016. Problem is, it’s still paying for pay-for-delay decisions made by its products’ previous owners...the generics giant last week agreed to a $225 million settlement with a group that picked up Bayer antibiotic Cipro...Also...the FTC refiled charges against Watson and former parent Actavis, claiming they illegally blocked a lower-cost generic version of Endo’s Lidoderm after entering into a pay-for-delay pact with Endo...All things considered, “the cumulative sum of fines is getting noticeable”—especially for “cash-strapped” Teva...The Israeli company earlier this month walked down its previously outlined 2017 guidance by more than $1 billion after new 2016 launches didn’t hit their marks. And some analysts think Teva’s new revenue forecast—a range of $23.8 billion to $24.5 billion--may still be too high...

University Medical Center officials plan to open a new urgent care facility in Enterprise, which could become the hospital’s busiest clinic...Beginning in July, UMC will lease a 6,067-square-foot suite in the Blue Diamond Ranch Shopping Center, located at the intersection of Blue Diamond Road and Decatur Boulevard. The clinic will open the same month...“We found this specific community to be under resourced for health care and heard from the community that they would like a UMC Quick Care in their neighborhood,” UMC CEO Mason VanHouweling wrote…The new facility will offer walk-in treatment, X-ray imaging and a handful of lab tests including rapid strep tests, rapid pregnancy tests and urine dipstick analysis. Two doctors will work there when it opens...

Kelly Walsh, PTNN. This weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

As Sanofi and Regeneron scramble to keep their PCSK9 cholesterol drug Praluent on the market, Amgen’s rival drug Repatha already appears to be chipping away at its market share...For the week of January 20, Repatha’s prescription total hit 3,231, ahead of Praluent’s 2,859...The Praluent partners are of course embroiled in a patent fight against Amgen, which claims that Sanofi and Regeneron knowingly stepped on its patents in developing Praluent. A district court jury sided with Amgen, and the judge in the case granted Amgen’s request for an injunction that would push Praluent off the market...Sanofi and Regeneron hope that the threat is short-lived; they’re trying to persuade the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to put off the injunction while their patent appeal is heard. In their request for a stay, the two companies argued that they have a good chance of winning their appeal and that pulling Praluent in the meantime would do great damage to Regeneron.