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WEB EXCLUSIVE                                                     

Oncologists Cautioned About Use of ESAs
By Caroline Helwick

Oncologists have been experiencing “withdrawal symptoms” since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a “black box” warning for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), which were associated with adverse outcomes in recent clinical trials. At the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, experts urged... FULL ARTICLE

Impact of Depression on Absenteeism
and Bed Days in Patients with Chronic Disorders
By Gordon M. Cummins, MS

Based on a Poster titled, “Work Absenteeism and Bed Days in Chronic Medical Disorder Patients with and without Depression in the United States, 2004-2005,” presented by Jayashri Sankaranarayanan, PhD, at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual International Meeting, May 2008, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In this study, Jayashri Sankaranarayanan, PhD, and colleagues compared results of annual bed days and missed workdays in patients with chronic medical disorders with and without depression. Their findings showed that depression was….FULL ARTICLE

FDA Increases Efforts to Scrutinize
Drug Risks and Benefits
By Rosemary Frei, MSc

Based on a presentation by Robert Powell, PharmD, at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual International Meeting, May 2008, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dr Powell is associate director, Office of Translational Sciences, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is consulting with the public, industry, and healthcare practitioners and administrators as…. FULL ARTICLE

July/August 2008, Vol 1, No 6

AHDB is now included in the Cumulative Index to Nursing
and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)

Editorial                                                                  
Contracting for Compliance: Using Adherence as a
Patient-Centered Measure of Performance
By Scott R. Taylor, RPh, MBA; J.B. Jones, MBA;
Nirav R. Shah, MD, MPH
With US health spending expected to reach $3.6 trillion by 2014,
all stakeholders are seeking….… FULL ARTICLE

Business                                                                  
Wayward Prescriptions: Costs of Fraud in Payor Plans
By Thomas Kaye, RPh, MBA
The recent events surrounding the incidences of heparin
contamination from China that was possibly willful…
FULL ARTICLE
Stakeholder Perspectives by Susan Sarnoff, DSW

Clinical                                                                    
Prescribing Warfarin Appropriately to Meet Patient
Safety Goals
By Lekshmi Dharmarajan, MD, FACP, FACC;
T.S. Dharmarajan, MD, FACP, AGSF
Warfarin, which has been in use for more than 50 years,
has received considerable attention because of its common use…
FULL ARTICLE
Stakeholder Perspective by Teresa DeLuca, MD, MBA

Regulatory                                                           
Treading Water: The No-Growth Investment
in Health Services Research
By Emily J. Holubowich, MPP; Joseph R. Antos, PhD
Health services research explores healthcare costs, quality,
and access and seeks ways to improve healthcare delivery, safety…
FULL ARTICLE
Stakeholder Perspective by Joseph R. Antos, PhD

Generic Drug Trends                                         
FDA Bolsters Its Generic Approval Process: Health Plans
Reap the Benefits
FULL ARTICLE
Stakeholder Perspective by Gary M. Owens, MD

FDA Watch                                                              
Heparin at the Center of the Storm
By Mark Senak, JD
FULL ARTICLE

ADA MEETING HIGHLIGHTS                                    
Bustling Pipeline for Diabetes and Its
Metabolic Consequences
By Wayne Kuznar
FULL ARTICLE

ISPOR Primer                                                         
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics
and Outcomes Research: Implications for Decision
Makers in Healthcare
By Gordon M. Cummins, MS
FULL ARTICLE

ISPOR MEETING HIGHLIGHTS                                
By Rosemary Frei, MSc
Testing for Diabetes Reduces Healthcare Costs…
Cost-Analysis of Bortezomib Use at Major Cancer Center…
Repeat Testing Needed to Estimate US Health Expenditures…
FULL ARTICLE