A proposed national "Right to Try" law would make it easier for terminally ill patients to get access to experimental drugs, but physicians and medical ethicists, as well as the drug industry, oppose such legislation.
In a novel arrangement, the drugmaker will offer discounts based on whether or not the drug works initially and remains effective for the estimated 1,000 to 2,000 patients in the U.S. with a type of inherited retinal disease.
Doctors blame holdups in getting the treatment paid for by Medicare and Medicaid, the two giant U.S. government health programs, as well as some of the U.S.s largest insurers.
A U.S. government program meant to improve medical care and cut costs by penalizing hospitals that repeatedly readmit people with heart failure may have instead increased the risk that the patients would die, a new study suggests.
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{
"uri": "/2019/01/10/cancer-rates-are-down-for-wealthy-americans/",
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"summary": "With the overall death rate declining by 1 to 2 percent annually between 1991 and 2016, the nation has avoided about 2.6 million deaths.",
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"uri": "/2018/05/28/fda-fast-tracking-gene-therapies/",
"title": "FDA fast-tracking gene therapies",
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"summary": "Unlike traditional drugs, gene therapies are intended to be given once, transform the inner workings of the body and last for a lifetime.",
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"uri": "/2018/05/23/why-offering-cancer-screenings-for-smokers-may-be/",
"title": "Why offering cancer screenings for smokers may be a waste of time",
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"summary": "Fewer than 2 percent of heavy smokers in the U.S. get recommended lung cancer screenings,",
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"uri": "/2018/03/14/two-drugmakers-announce-price-cuts/",
"title": "Two drugmakers announce price cuts",
"byline": "Rebecca Spalding and Michelle Cortez",
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"prettyDate": "March 14, 2018",
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"summary": "The announcement \"will set an important precedent in the ongoing drug pricing debate here in the U.S.,\" says one analyst.",
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{
"uri": "/2018/02/08/6-faqs-about-the-right-to-try-debate/",
"title": "6 FAQs about the ‘Right to Try’ debate",
"byline": "Michelle Cortez",
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"summary": "A proposed national \"Right to Try\" law would make it easier for terminally ill patients to get access to experimental drugs, but physicians and medical ethicists, as well as the drug industry, oppose such legislation.",
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"uri": "/2018/01/03/blindness-treatment-to-cost-425k-if-it-works/",
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"prettyDate": "January 03, 2018",
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"summary": "In a novel arrangement, the drugmaker will offer discounts based on whether or not the drug works initially and remains effective for the estimated 1,000 to 2,000 patients in the U.S. with a type of inherited retinal disease.",
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{
"uri": "/2017/12/19/breakthrough-cancer-drug-given-to-just-5-patients/",
"title": "Breakthrough cancer drug given to just 5 patients, 200 more wait",
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"prettyDate": "December 19, 2017",
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"summary": "Doctors blame holdups in getting the treatment paid for by Medicare and Medicaid, the two giant U.S. government health programs, as well as some of the U.S.s largest insurers.",
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"uri": "/2017/11/14/medicare-plan-to-cut-hospital-readmission-is-tied/",
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"summary": "A U.S. government program meant to improve medical care and cut costs by penalizing hospitals that repeatedly readmit people with heart failure may have instead increased the risk that the patients would die, a new study suggests.",
"body": null
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