- Health groups sue FDA for Gilead hepatitis C drug trial data (newsdaily.com)
Food and Drug Administration was sued by two advocacy groups seeking to force the faster disclosure of clinical trial data...patients deserve more information about the "enormously costly" drugs…to make informed decisions about whether to use them.
- Judge Strikes Calif. Nursing Home Law Affecting Mentally Incompetent Patients (medpagetoday.com)
..California law allowing nursing homes to make medical decisions on behalf of certain mentally incompetent residents is unconstitutional,… nursing homes are making end-of-life decisions without patient input is a big concern,…..
- Lilly Facing First Trials Over Cymbalta Withdrawal Symptoms (bloomberg.com)
Eli Lill was ordered to face claims it misled consumers about "brain zaps" and other withdrawal side effects tied to Cymbalta in the first cases slated to be heard by juries…bid to have…lawsuits thrown out was rebuffed…found they raised legitimate questions about the drugmaker’s warnings about withdrawal risks.
- John Roberts rescues Obamacare — again (businessinsider.com)
For the second time in four Supreme Court terms, Chief Justice John Roberts has broken with conservatives and rescued the Affordable Care Act from potential oblivion. Roberts, an unlikely hero of sorts for the law, wrote the majority opinion on Thursday upholding a key provision of Obamacare that helps provide health-insurance subsidies to more than 6 million Americans.
- Supreme Court upholds use of death-penalty drug (marketwatch.com)
High Court rejects claims that midazolam can cause excruciating pain...states can continue to conduct executions using...midazolam…rejecting claims the drug poses too great a risk that condemned prisoners will suffer excruciating pain…prisoners who brought suit failed to suggest an alternative to midazolam.
- Four healthcare consequences of King v. Burwell (managedhealthcareexecutive.modernmedicine.com)
..consequences that likely will follow from the Court’s decision.---bureaucrats can now proceed with their regulatory activities ---health insurers now gain the certainty that is required for proper rate setting--- smaller businesses, likely…to comply with their ACA mandate--- there is little incentive for new state exchanges.
- Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Comments on U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruling in King vs. Burwell (pharmacytimes.com)
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy .. “The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the contested language in the ACA is positive news for millions of Americans who will continue to have access to affordable prescription drugs,…. this decision has averted significant disruption to the health care marketplace…”
- Las Vegas Review-Journal asks to unseal doctor’s sex crime records (reviewjournal.com)Sealed sex crimes case against doctor leaves unanswered questions (reviewjournal.com)Las Vegas doctor taped himself having sex with sedated girl, woman, police say (reviewjournal.com)
….to determine why the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners allowed a doctor accused of a sex crime to continue practicing, the Las Vegas Review-Journal filed court papers Friday, asking a judge to unseal records from a 2006 criminal case.
- Obamacare ruling ends threat to U.S. hospitals, insurers (reuters.com)
..hospital and health insurance industries…sigh of relief…Supreme Court upheld subsidies for individuals under…healthcare law. Shares in hospitals surged, with several hitting all-time highs,...analysts called the ruling positive for an industry on the edge of consolidation…economists have estimated $15 billion to $22 billion in healthcare spending was at risk...
- Having Survived Court Ruling, Insurance Markets Still Face Economic Threats (khn.org)
Despite having survived a challenge in the U.S. Supreme Court, the federal government’s health insurance markets face weighty struggles as they try to keep prices under control,….government’s insurance markets … have been operating for less than two years and are about to lose their training wheels. Start-up funds that have helped stabilize prices and partially pay for administration of the marketplaces are ending,….