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The 2019 novel coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV, continues to dominate headlines as more cases emerge in the United States. As of February 5, the CDC has confirmed 11 positive tests of the virus in US patients...READ MORE

Here is a roundup of the latest coronavirus-related news:

1. Pharmacists are running short on surgical masks due to coronavirus fears, according to a new survey.
2. FDA issues emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first 2019-nCoV diagnostic.
3. Gilead Sciences is donating its experimental antiviral drug remdesivir for clinical trials involving patients with coronavirus in China.
4. Department of Health and Human Services will collaborate with Regeneron to develop treatment.

Walgreens has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a consumer protection lawsuit brought by California authorities who said the company employed an unlicensed pharmacist for more than a decade...The action is in response to a complaint filed by the district attorneys of Alameda and Santa Clara counties that alleges Kim Thien Le worked as a pharmacist in multiple Walgreens locations in the Bay Area for more than 10 years though she was not licensed by the Board of Pharmacy...While working as a pharmacist, Le participated in filling more than 745,000 prescriptions, including more than 100,000 for controlled substances,..READ MORE

The Trump administration...declared a public health emergency...and announced the extraordinary step of barring entry to the United States of foreign nationals who have recently visited China...In addition, U.S. citizens who have traveled within the past two weeks to China’s Hubei Province - epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic - will be subject to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days, the incubation period of the virus, officials said...READ MORE

Less than half of clinical trial results are reported promptly on the U.S. trial registry ClinicalTrials.gov despite federal requirements, according to a recent study published in The Lancet...U.S. regulations that took effect in January 2017 require clinical trials to report results on ClinicalTrials.gov within one year of completion. But just 41% of trials followed the rules, and one in three trials remains unreported. Trials with nonindustry sponsors (such as universities, hospitals, and governments) are far more likely to breach the rules than trials sponsored by industry—with trials sponsored by the U.S. government least likely to post results on time...READ MORE

Christina Mattina, welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

The U.S. will get its first entirely 5G-enabled hospital this week as the Department of Veterans Affairs brings the technology up online at its Palo Alto hospital...The VA's Palo Alto Health Care System, which is an affiliate of Stanford University School of Medicine, will be coming online as also the first 5G-enabled health facility in the world VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said…"What 5G will deliver is richer, more detailed, three-dimensional images of the patient's anatomy with resolution so clear and consistent that it will give us reliable use of important telesurgery services to veterans across the nation," Wilkie said. "That means reliable capacity to allow the VA's best physicians to consult during surgery even when they are not in the same room or halfway across the country."...READ MORE

Matthew Gavidia, welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Pharmacy Week in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

...the first meeting of a committee focused on assessing prescription drug pricing...The Committee to Conduct an Interim Study Concerning the Cost of Prescription Drugs was formed to look into the overall cost of prescription drugs in Nevada and how they compare to other states. Additionally, members will look at the impact of rebates, price reductions, and other remuneration from manufacturers on the costs of prescription drugs, and identify opportunities to lower prescription drug costs...The committee was formed as a result of SB276, which passed during the 2019 legislative session...READ MORE

Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Pharmacy Week in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.