2021 - Pharmacy Technician Pulse

Over 1 Million Adults Rationed Insulin in 2021

Drug Topics

OCTOBER 18, 2022

Study examines patient action that ‘is frequently harmful, and sometimes deadly.’.

STAT+: Bubble bursts: 2021 health tech IPOs and SPACs lose value, burn cash

STAT

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Accelerated by the pandemic’s forced adoption of telehealth and other digital health solutions, 2021 saw more than 30 health technology startups go public, raising hundreds of millions and in some cases billions of dollars. Today, three members of the class of 2021 have gone bankrupt.

Flu Shot Reduced Outpatient Care Needed in 2021-2022 Flu Season

Drug Topics

JANUARY 4, 2023

Research on last season’s influenza vaccine efficacy bodes well for patients who have gotten their flu shot this season.

Vaccines

Beam is trading like it’s 2021

STAT

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning, everyone. Damian here with a look at a resurgence in psychiatric drug development, a big day for biotech stocks, and some innovation in the world of quarterly earnings. Read the rest…

New data: The 340B program is driving up costs for patients and our health care system

PhRMA

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

billion in sales at the discounted 340B price in 2021. Guess what? The 340B program grew, yet again, hitting a whopping $43.9 But there has not been evidence of corresponding growth in care provided to vulnerable patients at 340B covered entities.

340B program continues to drive shift in care to more expensive hospital settings

PhRMA

DECEMBER 15, 2022

In this case, the Berkeley Research Group (BRG) found that nearly 36% of all Medicare Part B therapy sales occurred at 340B hospitals in 2021 , up nearly 17 percentage points since 2012, meaning care is moving from physician offices and non-340B hospitals to 340B hospitals.

Hospitals

Nonprofit hospitals received $37.4B in federal, local tax benefits in 2021, study finds

Fierce Healthcare

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

The nonprofit hospital sector’s tax exemptions provide billions in estimated benefits, but about half of those exemptions are enjoyed by just a couple hundred hospitals, according to a newly publis | The analysis, meant to serve as a guide for policymakers, noted that the tax breaks are "highly concentrated" and vary "substantially" (..)

Hospitals

New York Pharmacy Technician Requirements

Pharmacy Tech Scholar

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

New York Pharmacy Technician Requirements *Completing the PharmacyTechScholar.com Online Course and Passing the PTCE meets the proposed 2021 credentialing/training requirements in New York New York… The post New York Pharmacy Technician Requirements appeared first on PharmacyTechScholar.com.

PTCE

FDA Clears First Commercially Available Blood Test to Evaluate for TBI, Concussion

Drug Topics

MARCH 7, 2023

The test is intended to complement the company’s TBI plasma test, which received FDA clearance in 2021.

FDA

For the First Time Medicaid Net Drug Spending Hits Double-Digits

Drug Topics

JANUARY 26, 2023

Spending on specialty drugs fueled a 11% increase in Medicaid drug spending from 2020 to 2021, says Magellan's seventh annual Medicaid Pharmacy Trend Report.

FDA Approves Tezepelumab for Self-Administration With New Pre-Filled Pen

Drug Topics

FEBRUARY 3, 2023

After being FDA approved in 2021, tezepelumab (Tezspire) has been approved again for self-administration.

FDA

COVID-19 Currently A Leading Cause of Death Among Children and Young People

Drug Topics

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

A 2021 morbidity study found that COVID-19 was among the leading causes of death in children and young people.

Study: Myocarditis Risk Is Significantly Higher After COVID-19 Infection Vs After Vaccine

Pharmacy Times

AUGUST 24, 2022

Analysis includes nearly 43 million individuals aged 13 year and older who received at least 1 dose in England between December 1, 2020, and December 15, 2021.

Vaccines

Health Care Spending Has Shot Back Up to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Drug Topics

APRIL 27, 2023

The average annual healthcare spending for people with employer-sponsored insurance spending increased from $5,630 in 2020 to $6,467 in 2021. After decreasing in 2020, per person healthcare spending increased 15%.

Insurance

Denied care: Trans men often struggle for inclusive gynecologic healthcare

Fierce Healthcare

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

When Joseph Schneier, a transgender man then in his early 40s, started experiencing unusual spotting and elevated progesterone levels in 2021, his partner urged him to get checked out. They could not have known it would take a year for Schneier to find a willing gynecologist who did not turn him away.

Routine vaccinations drop among U.S. kindergartners for the third year in a row

STAT

JANUARY 12, 2023

kindergartners who’ve received standard childhood vaccines took a small but notable dip into the 2021-2022 school year, health officials said Thursday, amid disruptions related to Covid-19 and fears that anti-vaccine sentiment stirred up by the pandemic could be spreading to other shots. The percentage of U.S. Read the rest…

Vaccines

FDA Reports Serious Liver Injury in Patients Without Cirrhosis Using Obeticholic Acid to Treat PBC

Pharmacy Times

DECEMBER 12, 2024

This update follows May 2021 guidelines which recommended patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with advanced cirrhosis discontinue obeticholic acid.

FDA

M&A or affiliation improved rural hospitals' margins, reduced risk of closure: report

Fierce Healthcare

DECEMBER 2, 2024

The analysis, conducted by healthcare consulting firm Dobson DaVanzo, found that among 110 rural hospitals that closed between 2011 and 2021, more than half were standalone hospitals without support from larger systems.

Hospitals

New CDC Data Show Decrease in Vaccine Coverage Among Kindergarteners For 2023-2024 School Year

Pharmacy Times

OCTOBER 4, 2024

Significant polarization surrounding COVID-19 vaccinations in late 2020 and early 2021 looked to have had an impact in increasing vaccine hesitancy.

Vaccines

More health systems are billing for electronic patient-provider messages, study shows

Fierce Healthcare

JANUARY 11, 2024

After an early 2020 spike, monthly claims for e-visits rose from 64,000 in June 2021 to 107,000 by Sept. The total number of health systems with at least 50 logged claims also rose about 40% from Q3 2021 to Q3 2022.

Study Highlights Impact of Preventive Strategies for RSV Hospitalizations in Pediatric Patients

Pharmacy Times

OCTOBER 5, 2023

Study shows a a significant burden of hospitalizations associated with respiratory syncytial virus during the 2021-2022 season compared with the prepandemic period.

Hospitals

Teva, Viatris revive patent challenge on J&J's long-acting schizophrenia blockbuster Invega Sustenna

Fierce Pharma

APRIL 2, 2024

After incurring a loss in New Jersey federal court in 2021, Teva and Viatris have successfully resurrected challenges to the last remaining U.S. After incurring a loss in New Jersey federal court in 2021, Teva and Viatris have successfully resurrected challenges to the last remaining U.S.

KFF: A look at prior authorization trends in Medicare Advantage

Fierce Healthcare

AUGUST 12, 2024

Prior authorization denials in Medicare Advantage jumped between 2021 and 2022, according to a new analysis from KFF.

Merck's Keytruda again bags industry-first cervical cancer nod—with limitation

Fierce Pharma

JANUARY 16, 2024

After crowning Keytruda as the first immunotherapy for advanced cervical cancer back in 2021, the FDA has awarded the drug another industry-first designation in an earlier stage of the tumor type.

FDA

With new FDA approval, Merck's Welireg takes another step toward blockbuster goal

Fierce Pharma

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Since Merck secured approval for kidney cancer pill and blockbuster hopeful Welireg (belzutifan) in August of 2021, sales have grown slowly but surely. Since Merck secured approval for kidney cancer pill and blockbuster hopeful Welireg (belzutifan) in August of 2021, sales have grown slowly but surely.

FDA

Pfizer unit wins $107.5M verdict in cancer-drug patent case against AstraZeneca

Fierce Pharma

MAY 20, 2024

Pfizer's Wyeth subsidiary and licensee Puma Biotechnology sued AstraZeneca in 2021 for alleged patent infringement related to AZ's marketing of cancer blockbuster Tagrisso. A Delaware federal jury has ordered AstraZeneca to fork over $107.5

Emergency medicine is grappling with a surprising problem: The prospect of too many physicians

STAT

OCTOBER 27, 2023

The American College of Emergency Physicians predicted in a 2021 study that there would be a surplus of nearly 8,000 emergency physicians by 2030. While much of the health care workforce is battling staff shortages, the emergency medicine field is trying to figure out how to manage a potential oversupply of physicians. Read the rest…

Hospitals

Who are the 50 most influential leaders in pharmacy?

Drug Store News

JANUARY 25, 2024

The Pharmacy 50 program, launched in 2021 by The Pharmacy Podcast Network, is recognizing individuals that have had a significant impact on the accomplishments of others in pharmacy.

Pfizer, bracing for Hurricane Milton, pledges aid to emergency services and health support

Fierce Pharma

OCTOBER 8, 2024

Pfizer—which opened a global hub in Tampa, Florida, in 2021—is setting out to bolster emergency services, pool donations and ease medical supply needs as Hurricane Milton touches down this week. Editor's Note: Is your company bracing for Milton or working to provide aid in anticipation of the storm?

As midwife-assisted home births rise, so too do high-risk births outside hospitals

STAT

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Kay Kay Lineweaver’s first birthing experience in 2021 didn’t go as planned. Her baby was breech and the doctor wouldn’t allow her to try to give birth vaginally, so she ended up with an unwanted cesarean section.

Hospitals

Opinion: Shifting the focus from loneliness to social health

STAT

JUNE 3, 2024

Other countries recognized the problem earlier: the United Kingdom appointed a minister for loneliness in 2018; Japan did the same in 2021. It’s been one year since the U.S. surgeon general issued a national warning about an epidemic of loneliness.

As Humira biosim sales languish, Boehringer Ingelheim plots layoffs in pivot to hybrid sales model

Fierce Pharma

APRIL 5, 2024

Despite Boehringer Ingelheim’s 2021 Humira biosimilar approval being heralded by some analysts as a “landmark achievement” for the field, the drug—dubbed Cyltezo—has struggled to gain traction than | Facing lackluster Cyltezo sales, Boehringer Ingelheim will prune its ranks in the U.S.

After row with Hungary and Poland, Pfizer sues Romania over missed COVID vaccine payments

Fierce Pharma

JANUARY 19, 2024

The lawsuit marks the latest move in Pfizer’s campaign to press countries to honor COVID-19 vaccine contracts inked by the European Commission in May 2021. . | Following public spats with Hungary and Poland, Pfizer and its German mRNA partner BioNTech have kicked off legal proceedings against Romania.

Vaccines

Merck's Keytruda aims for updated stomach cancer label with positive data

Fierce Pharma

JUNE 16, 2023

After scoring accelerated approval to treat HER2-positive stomach cancer in 2021, the drug has now shown it can stave off tumor progression in patients with PD-L1 positive tumors.

Labelling

STAT+: Biotech lab-space demand falls sharply as industry’s ‘sugar high’ turns into a ‘reset’

STAT

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

million square feet at the end of 2021 to 10.1 million square feet at the end of 2021 to 10.1 million square feet by the second quarter of this year across eight top life science markets: Boston, the Bay Area, San Diego, Raleigh-Durham, Philadelphia, Seattle, Los Angeles, and the Washington, D.C.,

Ophelia's virtual OUD care now in-network for Medicaid, dual-eligible Highmark Wholecare members

Fierce Healthcare

MARCH 20, 2024

Ophelia has been part of Highmark Health’s network in Pennsylvania since 2021, serving 2.9 Ophelia, a virtual provider of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, is now in-network for Highmark Wholecare members. million commercial members. It is now in-network for Wholecare Medicaid and dual-eligible members.

Once a high-flying 'unicorn,' Olive AI sells two key businesses, winds down operations

Fierce Healthcare

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Healthcare startup Olive saw a meteoric rise in 2020 and 2021, spurred by the digital health funding boom and the need for automation during the COVID-19 pandemic. | It marks the end of the line for healthcare automation startup Olive AI.

Opinion: Better safety studies could restore America’s confidence in vaccines

STAT

AUGUST 14, 2024

In February 2021, I received my second Covid-19 shot — the newly developed vaccine that would eventually save millions of lives worldwide — with great anticipation. It was as if an audible dog whistle began blaring right next to me.

Vaccines

STAT+: Vacancy rate in Boston-area lab space climbs to 10-year high

STAT

NOVEMBER 11, 2023

This represents more than 5 million square feet of unclaimed space, up from just 300,000 square feet of available space on the market in 2021. The demand from companies looking for space has dropped from about 8 million square feet in 2021 to about 2 million square feet today.

Minority Communities, Independent Storefronts Hit Hardest by Pharmacy Closures

Drug Topics

DECEMBER 6, 2024

Researchers observed data from 2010 to 2021 to better understand recent trends in US pharmacy closures and the specific pharmacy types that have been impacted.

Decline in heart failure deaths has been undone, led by people under 45

STAT

APRIL 24, 2024

death certificate data from 1999 through 2021, revealing a steady drop in deaths until 2012, when rates plateaued, then began to rise steadily, and accelerated upward once the Covid-19 pandemic arrived. The concerning conclusion comes as newer medications are raising hopes for better outcomes in the years to come.

Covid cut life expectancy by 1.6 years globally, but the leading causes of death haven’t changed since 1990

STAT

APRIL 3, 2024

In 2020 and 2021, Covid-19 was the second-leading cause, pushing stroke to third position. Read the rest…

STAT+: SalioGen Therapeutics hit by layoffs, as gene-editing biotechs continue to struggle

STAT

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Launched in 2021, SalioGen was among a group of new startups developing technology for inserting full-length genes into patients — a feat that can’t readily be accomplished with older approaches based on the gene-editing technology CRISPR. A spokesperson for SalioGen declined to comment.

Overdose deaths during pregnancy spiked over the past few years, study says

STAT

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Overdose deaths among pregnant or postpartum people skyrocketed between 2018 and 2021, according to new research published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry.

Over 1 Million Adults Rationed Insulin in 2021

STAT+: Bubble bursts: 2021 health tech IPOs and SPACs lose value, burn cash

Trending Sources

Flu Shot Reduced Outpatient Care Needed in 2021-2022 Flu Season

Beam is trading like it’s 2021

New data: The 340B program is driving up costs for patients and our health care system

340B program continues to drive shift in care to more expensive hospital settings

Nonprofit hospitals received $37.4B in federal, local tax benefits in 2021, study finds

New York Pharmacy Technician Requirements

FDA Clears First Commercially Available Blood Test to Evaluate for TBI, Concussion

For the First Time Medicaid Net Drug Spending Hits Double-Digits

FDA Approves Tezepelumab for Self-Administration With New Pre-Filled Pen

COVID-19 Currently A Leading Cause of Death Among Children and Young People

Study: Myocarditis Risk Is Significantly Higher After COVID-19 Infection Vs After Vaccine

Health Care Spending Has Shot Back Up to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Denied care: Trans men often struggle for inclusive gynecologic healthcare

Routine vaccinations drop among U.S. kindergartners for the third year in a row

FDA Reports Serious Liver Injury in Patients Without Cirrhosis Using Obeticholic Acid to Treat PBC

M&A or affiliation improved rural hospitals' margins, reduced risk of closure: report

New CDC Data Show Decrease in Vaccine Coverage Among Kindergarteners For 2023-2024 School Year

More health systems are billing for electronic patient-provider messages, study shows

Study Highlights Impact of Preventive Strategies for RSV Hospitalizations in Pediatric Patients

Teva, Viatris revive patent challenge on J&J's long-acting schizophrenia blockbuster Invega Sustenna

KFF: A look at prior authorization trends in Medicare Advantage

Merck's Keytruda again bags industry-first cervical cancer nod—with limitation

With new FDA approval, Merck's Welireg takes another step toward blockbuster goal

Pfizer unit wins $107.5M verdict in cancer-drug patent case against AstraZeneca

Emergency medicine is grappling with a surprising problem: The prospect of too many physicians

Who are the 50 most influential leaders in pharmacy?

Pfizer, bracing for Hurricane Milton, pledges aid to emergency services and health support

As midwife-assisted home births rise, so too do high-risk births outside hospitals

Opinion: Shifting the focus from loneliness to social health

As Humira biosim sales languish, Boehringer Ingelheim plots layoffs in pivot to hybrid sales model

After row with Hungary and Poland, Pfizer sues Romania over missed COVID vaccine payments

Merck's Keytruda aims for updated stomach cancer label with positive data

STAT+: Biotech lab-space demand falls sharply as industry’s ‘sugar high’ turns into a ‘reset’

Ophelia's virtual OUD care now in-network for Medicaid, dual-eligible Highmark Wholecare members

Once a high-flying 'unicorn,' Olive AI sells two key businesses, winds down operations

Opinion: Better safety studies could restore America’s confidence in vaccines

STAT+: Vacancy rate in Boston-area lab space climbs to 10-year high

Minority Communities, Independent Storefronts Hit Hardest by Pharmacy Closures

Decline in heart failure deaths has been undone, led by people under 45

Covid cut life expectancy by 1.6 years globally, but the leading causes of death haven’t changed since 1990

STAT+: SalioGen Therapeutics hit by layoffs, as gene-editing biotechs continue to struggle

Overdose deaths during pregnancy spiked over the past few years, study says

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