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Johnson & Johnson was on the losing end of the nation’s first opioid trial...even though it's appealing, the company is already fighting to limit its future liability as politicians put on a squeeze for more payments down the line...After the August verdict against the company for $572 million, Gov. Kevin Stitt and two prominent Republican lawmakers filed a brief arguing that future costs beyond the first year shouldn’t go to taxpayers...J&J should pay billions in addition to the $572 million verdict over many years to fund crisis abatement...READ MORE

Disparity found in analysis of practice data from CCGs (clinical commissioning groups) using First Databank’s prescribing decision tool...Drug and medical device knowledge company First Databank is urging GP practices to standardise their approaches to routine testing and monitoring of drugs, after its data revealed variance in compliance across key safety indicators for drug prescriptions...figures from analysis of...usage in 2018/2019 “suggest the need for prescribers to increase essential routine testing of clinical markers for patient harm from medications, and for more robust recording of test results into the primary care clinical system.”...READ MORE

Walgreens retail clinic business has been floundering. Last week, Walgreens announced that it would shut the last of its in-house retail clinics and in favor of outsourcing clinic operations to hospitals and health systems...Other retailers are investing in more expansive healthcare services to realize the promise of store-based healthcare. That’s one reason why CVS Health is rolling out its HealthHUBs, while Walmart is phasing out its traditional retail clinics in favor of a more comprehensive Walmart Health offering...Many large retail chains operate clinics, but their strategies and growth rates differ. I expect the traditional retail clinic model to fade in favor of locations with broader healthcare services. This new direction will put pharmacies in more direct competition with urgent care clinics and primary care providers...READ MORE

Artificial intelligence has become a crucial part of our technological infrastructure and the brain underlying many consumer devices....This progress has sparked the use of AI in drug discovery and development...Artificial intelligence can improve efficiency and outcomes in drug development across therapeutic areas...Misapplication of these technologies, however, can have unintended harmful consequences. To see how a good idea can turn bad, just look at what’s happened with social media...The FDA has already issued several proposals around the regulation of AI products, and it now has an opportunity to build on these efforts. The Center for Devices and Radiological Health has reviewed and cleared a number of devices that use AI. The center has also released a proposed framework, “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Software as a Medical Device.” These proposals, though, don’t necessarily apply to AI-based tools used as part of the drug development process. As a result, biopharmaceutical and technology companies aren’t sure how these tools fit into current regulatory frameworks..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.

FDA’s Janet Woodcock testifies to Congress about the potential risks to US national security of the pharmaceutical industry’s reliance on Chinese imports...Democrats and Republicans alike have become increasingly concerned in recent years about the potential downsides of the tight integration of US and Chinese supply chains in multiple industries...in a recent Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing, titled ‘Safeguarding Pharmaceutical Supply Chains in a Global Economy’...Janet Woodcock...was unable provide information to quell concerns about the negative implications of the reliance of the US pharmaceutical industry on Chinese manufacturing facilities...READ MORE

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

Sharing of threat information across stakeholders helps create situational awareness – not just for individual organizations but for the healthcare industry as a whole, says one expert...When it comes to building cybersecurity defenses against bad actors in healthcare, generally speaking each provider organization, payer or pharmaceutical company relies on its own self-developed strategies and self-selected technologies...But what if there was a more concerted effort by all of these players to work together to thwart hackers and other cyber criminals? That would be a better way of going about cybersecurity...READ MORE

The U.S. biopharmaceutical industry depends on predictable and reliable intellectual property protections, including patents, to maintain its role as the global leader in biopharmaceutical innovation. While these strong IP protections promote innovation and pave the way for the research and development of new medicines for patients, they also have a tremendous impact on the U.S. economy...Here is a snapshot of the industry’s significant economic footprint in the United States, by the numbers:...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.