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Cancer patients in more than 100 countries are at risk of receiving ineffective treatments and potentially fatal side effects, reports a team from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ). Generic drugs are used all around the world, but they’re especially relied upon in places with fewer resources and less access to more expensive treatments. A study published yesterday in the Lancet Global Health examined 189 samples of drugs to treat common cancers, including breast, ovarian, and leukemia, and found that about one-fifth failed. While some contained so little of their key ingredients that pharmacists said it’s the same as doing nothing, others contained too much, putting patients at risk of organ damage or death. Part of the problem is that manufacturers are operating in a global market driven solely by price, experts say. In places with weaker regulations and surveillance, this can lead to scrimping on the amount or quality of a drug’s active ingredient. Read more from TBIJ. |
mental health
Massive study adds to evidence base on ADHD meds
A new study, published yesterday in JAMA Psychiatry, followed nearly 250,000 Swedish people using ADHD medication for 14 years, and found that the treatments can reduce risks of traffic crashes, injuries, and criminal behavior. Most notably, the study found that these results persisted even as more girls, women, and adult men received diagnoses.
When ADHD was first identified in the 1960s, it was mainly seen in young, white boys. Those demographics have balanced out over the decades as other groups receive more attention, so the researchers were interested in whether or not the current understanding of medication’s benefits would still apply with a wider pool.
“I wish we had access to this kind of data for the U.S.,” said Ryan Sultan, a psychiatrist who was not part of the study. Here in the U.S., medication prescriptions for ADHD are skyrocketing — largely thanks to telehealth and diminishing stigma — while shortages are imperiling people’s access to these critical treatments. Read more from STAT’s O. Rose Broderick on the study and what it means.
from Healthcare Dive:
CVS Caremark to pay $95M in Medicare fraud caseA federal judge ruled in favor of a whistleblower, finding CVS’ pharmacy benefit manager Caremark overbilled Medicare for generic drugs. |
UC San Diego Health lays off 230 workersThe health system blamed the layoffs on regulatory uncertainty and rising costs of providing care. |
Medicaid, SNAP cuts could lead to nearly 500,000 lost healthcare jobs: reportA large portion of the 1.2 million jobs that could be lost nationwide in 2029 would come from the healthcare sector, like roles at hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies and long-term care providers. |
