About the publics’ health
U-Haul will no longer hire smokers in 21 states: Yes, it is legal to discriminate against smokers. Actually the new company policy includes “nicotine products.”
Not sure how to get rid of extra opioids or antibiotics? The pharmacy may not know, either: “Researchers found only 47% of pharmacies gave correct instructions on how to dispose of antibiotics and 34% provided correct information about opioid disposal. On weekends, only 15% correctly directed customers about safe antibiotic disposal and 7% gave the correct information about disposing of opioids.” The FDA has specific instructions on how to dispose of these medications.
About health insurance
Health insurance mandate takes effect in Rhode Island: Even as Republicans try to dismantle the ACA, some states are creating their own mandates for health insurance.
Judge shoots down California law on how kidney dialysis is paid for: “A federal judge has blocked a California law that would limit insurance payment rates at life-saving kidney dialysis clinics and prohibit the clinics from steering patients to private insurers.” Of note is that it is illegal for physicians to steer Medicare patients into a particular Medicare Advantage plan or recommend they drop such a plan to go back to traditional Medicare.
About healthcare IT
Global Healthcare Cloud Computing Market to Reach $51.9B by 2024: “The global healthcare cloud computing market is expected to reach $51.9 billion by 2024, according to a recent Research&Markets report.
The market is projected to increase from $23.4 billion in 2019 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.2 percent during the period, researchers reported. The main growth factors through 2024 will include the increasing adoption of big data analytics, wearable devices, and internet of things (IoT) in healthcare. The market is also slated to grow due to the advantages of cloud usage, such as improved storage, flexibility, and the scalability of data.”
About pharma
First generics to Bristol-Myers and Pfizer's Eliquis are here. But can they launch before 2026?: This story is a perfect example of defending a brand against generic competitors.
“The FDA approved the first two copycats to Eliquis, made by Mylan and Micro Labs, on Christmas Eve. But despite the agency's announcement, which touted its efforts to get generics to market, the Eliquis copies will not get there anytime soon…
In 2017, 25 generics companies told Bristol that they had filed for FDA approval of their copycats. The pair soon erected a patent wall, launching lawsuits against all those drugmakers.
That August, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Eliquis a key composition of matter patent, extending it from February 2023 to November 2026. Bristol and Pfizer have argued that’s when Eliquis generics can enter.”