Urinary tract infection

Phil and Teva Pharmaceuticals Launch New Program to Improve Access to the Digihaler® Family of Inhalers to Support Asthma Management

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 6, 2023

The goal of Phil and Teva Pharmaceuticals’ partnership is to help enable patients to receive and refill their Digihaler medication quickly, easily and affordably.

Key Points: 
  • The goal of Phil and Teva Pharmaceuticals’ partnership is to help enable patients to receive and refill their Digihaler medication quickly, easily and affordably.
  • Using the PhilRx Patient Access Platform, patients can fill their prescription, review prescription records and obtain assistance navigating insurance benefits.
  • The PhilRx Patient Access Platform provides end-to-end visibility into the entire prescription life cycle, starting when the physician writes the prescription.
  • Physicians can select the PhilRx Patient Access Platform directly from an electronic medical record (EMR) to submit a prescription for a Digihaler product.

Mental Health Conditions, the Top-Ranking Telehealth Diagnosis, Rose Nationally in Share of Telehealth Claim Lines in March 2023, the Third Straight Month of National Increases

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 5, 2023

NEW YORK, June 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- National telehealth utilization increased 1.8 percent in March 2023, from 5.5 percent of medical claim lines in February to 5.6 percent in March, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.1 The increase followed a decline in February 2023. In March, telehealth utilization also increased in two of the four US census regions—the Midwest (2.4 percent) and the West (2.6 percent). The other regions stayed level, with zero percent change in the Northeast and the South. The data represent the privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage and excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid.

Key Points: 
  • In March, telehealth utilization also increased in two of the four US census regions—the Midwest (2.4 percent) and the West (2.6 percent).
  • The top five telehealth diagnoses remained the same in March 2023 as in February 2023 nationally and in the Midwest, Northeast and West.
  • In March, mental health conditions, the top-ranking diagnosis nationally and in every region, rose from 66.7 percent of telehealth claim lines nationally in February to 67.4 percent in March—the third straight month of national increases.
  • Nationally, the median charge amount for this service when rendered via telehealth was $49.66, and the median allowed amount was $22.81.4

Octave Presents New Data at CMSC Annual Meeting 2023, Adding to Growing Evidence Supporting All Dimensions of its Comprehensive Precision Care Solution for Multiple Sclerosis

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 2, 2023

The data adds to the growing evidence supporting all dimensions of the company’s comprehensive Precision Care Solution for MS.

Key Points: 
  • The data adds to the growing evidence supporting all dimensions of the company’s comprehensive Precision Care Solution for MS.
  • “The robustness of learned protein signatures across datasets is reassuring evidence for the clinical utility of this methodology,” Dr. Foley said.
  • Discrepancies in clinical impressions, treatment recommendations, and follow-up orders may significantly impact patient outcomes and cost of care.
  • The posters and oral presentation presented by Octave at this year’s CMSC Annual Meeting showcase the growing breadth of data supporting its Precision Care Solution.

Expanded Care Options at B.C. Pharmacies: Pharmacists Empowered to Treat 21 Minor Ailments with New Prescribing Powers

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 1, 2023

pharmacists now have prescribing abilities for common ailments and hormonal contraception, which previously required visiting a doctor or nurse practitioner.

Key Points: 
  • pharmacists now have prescribing abilities for common ailments and hormonal contraception, which previously required visiting a doctor or nurse practitioner.
  • “Engaging pharmacists for the treatment of minor ailments is not only about convenience, but also a matter of improving patient care and expanding primary healthcare capacity.
  • would have to see a doctor or nurse practitioner to obtain prescription treatment for minor ailments.
  • “Assessing symptoms, evaluating medication needs, and offering patients recommendations to treat minor ailments are part of the care provided every day by pharmacists in our communities.

Spexis provides business update and announces financial results for the full year 2022

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 30, 2023

ALLSCHWIL, Switzerland, May 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spexis AG (SIX: SPEX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases and oncology, today announced its financial results for the full year of 2022 and provided a strategic business update.

Key Points: 
  • Spexis has worldwide rights to ColiFin® ex-Europe and is focused on developing the product first for the U.S. market.
  • Spexis announced positive results from the Phase 1 clinical trial of balixafortide (BLX) in patients with renal impairment in September 2022.
  • In January 2023, Spexis reported promising safety and pharmacokinetics results from a first-in-human study with inhaled murepavadin (iMPV), a novel macrocycle compound.
  • Spexis’ cash position as of December 31, 2022 was CHF 1.8 million (cash and cash equivalents).

Morris Animal Foundation selects 10 fellowship studies for funding

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 30, 2023

DENVER, May 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Morris Animal Foundation announced it is funding 10 new fellowship studies, with two of the studies funded by longtime donor Sally R. McIntosh.

Key Points: 
  • DENVER, May 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Morris Animal Foundation announced it is funding 10 new fellowship studies, with two of the studies funded by longtime donor Sally R. McIntosh.
  • The studies will focus on a variety of topics, including deadly infections in dogs, immune response disorders in horses and amphibian conservation.
  • "Our Fellowship Training program is one of the most impactful investments we can make for animal health research," said Dr. Kathy Tietje, Chief Program Officer at Morris Animal Foundation.
  • McIntosh made her first gift to Morris Animal Foundation to advance greyhound health research in 2009 and since then, has expanded her support into other areas of animal health research, including wildlife health.

Including race in clinical algorithms can both reduce and increase health inequities – it depends on what doctors use them for

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, May 27, 2023

Health practitioners are increasingly concerned that because race is a social construct, and the biological mechanisms of how race affects clinical outcomes are often unknown, including race in predictive algorithms for clinical decision-making may worsen inequities.

Key Points: 
  • Health practitioners are increasingly concerned that because race is a social construct, and the biological mechanisms of how race affects clinical outcomes are often unknown, including race in predictive algorithms for clinical decision-making may worsen inequities.
  • A higher eGFR value means better kidney health.
  • My recently published research suggests that excluding race from certain diagnostic algorithms could worsen health inequities.

Different approaches to fairness

    • Researchers use different economic frameworks to understand how society allocates resources.
    • This approach allocates resources to those with the most opportunities to generate positive outcomes or mitigate negative ones.
    • Although utilitarian approaches do not take fairness into account, an approach that does would ask two questions: How do we define fairness?
    • Are there conditions when maximizing an algorithm’s prediction power and accuracy would not conflict with fairness?

Equality of opportunity

    • There are two fundamental principles in equality of opportunity.
    • However, differences in individual effort that occur because of circumstances, such as living in an area with limited access to healthy food, are not addressed under equality of opportunity.
    • Equality of opportunity implies that if algorithms were to be used for clinical decision-making, then it is necessary to understand what causes variation in the predictions they make.

Evaluating clinical algorithms for fairness

    • To hold machine learning and other artificial intelligence algorithms accountable to a standard of equity, I applied the principles of equality of opportunity to
      evaluate whether race should be included in clinical algorithms.
    • The first, diagnostic algorithms, makes predictions based on outcomes that have already occurred at the time of decision-making.
    • The second, prognostic algorithms, predicts future outcomes that have not yet occurred at the time of decision-making.
    • For example, prognostic algorithms are used to predict whether a patient will live if they do or do not obtain a kidney transplant.

Unanswered questions and future work

    • My colleagues and I are exploring many of these unanswered questions to reduce algorithmic discrimination.
    • We believe our work will readily extend to other areas outside of health, including education, crime and labor markets.

ObjectiveHealth Announces Clinical Research Partnership With Urology of St. Louis

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 23, 2023

ObjectiveHealth , a Nashville-based integrated research and technology platform company, today announced a clinical research partnership with Urology of St. Louis .

Key Points: 
  • ObjectiveHealth , a Nashville-based integrated research and technology platform company, today announced a clinical research partnership with Urology of St. Louis .
  • The companies’ joint clinical research center, Specialty Clinical Research of St. Louis , will offer access to innovative diagnostic tools, treatments and therapies aimed at improving health outcomes in urologic disease states.
  • Urology of St. Louis has 27 practicing urology associates at 21 locations throughout St. Louis and the Metro East.
  • “We’re proud to offer access to more treatment options for urology patients through our new partnership with Urology of St. Louis,” said Colleen Hoke, co-founder and chief executive officer of ObjectiveHealth.

FDA Approves New Buprenorphine Treatment Option for Opioid Use Disorder

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 23, 2023

"Buprenorphine is an important treatment option for opioid use disorder.

Key Points: 
  • "Buprenorphine is an important treatment option for opioid use disorder.
  • Today's approval expands dosing options and provides people with opioid use disorder a greater opportunity to sustain long-term recovery," said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D.
  • After an initial test dose of transmucosal buprenorphine, patients were randomized to treatment with Brixadi plus a sublingual placebo, or active sublingual buprenorphine plus placebo injections.
  • A response to treatment was measured by urine drug screening and self-reporting of illicit opioid use during the treatment period.

ALWAYS BEST CARE INTRODUCES 24/7 VIRTUAL CARE AGENT BY SENSI.AI

Retrieved on: 
Friday, May 19, 2023

ROSEVILLE, Calif., May 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Always Best Care Senior Services, one of the leading senior care franchise systems in the United States, announced today the launch of a 24/7 AI Virtual Care Agent by Sensi.Ai to be available to its franchisees nationwide this month. This audio-based AI technology developed specifically for in home non-medical care environments analyzes physical, cognitive, and emotional events and trends around-the-clock, providing data-based insights and recommendations on the health and safety of our clients.

Key Points: 
  • Using this technology, Always Best Care caregiving teams can provide early intervention on signs and symptom management, reducing hospitalizations and improving client care.
  • "Always Best Care has been an early adopter of technology solutions that help us raise the standard of care we deliver," said Jake Brown, President and CEO of Always Best Care.
  • The 24/7 AI Virtual Care Agent by Sensi.Ai is one of five Special Solutions services Always Best Care has intertwined with its personal care platform to provide additional support to clients and families.
  • Always Best Care is one of the nation's leading providers of non-medical in-home care and assisted living referral services, with skilled home health care in limited markets.