Pharmacists at a Utah medical center successfully appealed a Joint Commission directive that would have ‘dramatically’ increased health care costs at the facility. Reuters Health Information
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Political alignment of US physicians shifted from 1991 to 2012
Results from a recent study indicated that since 1991, US physicians have contributed increasing amounts of money to political candidates and have grown more likely to vote for Democrats, reflecting changes in demographics among physicians. Researchers used public data to study physicians’ donation and voting behaviors and reported that, after adjustment for inflation, political campaign contributions by physicians increased from $20 million during the 1991-1992 election cycle to $189 million in the 2011-2012 cycle, after adjustment for inflation. In the earlier cycle, an estimated 2.6% of physicians made political contributions; (Read more...)
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“Real-life” study provides data for anti-VEGF treatment in diverse RVO population
LONDON — The LUMINOUS study, the largest prospective, observational study in medical retina, continues to provide a valuable source of real-world Lucentis data, according to a speaker here.“There is a wealth of ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) evidence available from randomized clinical trials, but real-life studies deal with a more diverse population, providing long-term follow-up data and safety monitoring from a large and varied population that facilitates detection of rare safety events,” Ben J. Burton, MRCP, FRCOphth, said at the Euretina Congress.
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IOP increase seen with Ozurdex common but easily managed
LONDON — A subanalysis of data from the MEAD study showed increased IOP resulting from use of Ozurdex for the treatment of diabetic macular edema was well-managed with medication and did not affect visual and anatomic outcomes, a speaker here said.Three-year results of the study, which included 1,048 patients, demonstrated the efficacy of Ozurdex (dexamethasone 0.7 mg intravitreal implant, Allergan); however, increased IOP was common, according to Rubens Belfort Jr., MD, PhD.
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Ozurdex effective for treatment of RVO in clinical practice
LONDON — Ozurdex demonstrated efficacy comparable to that demonstrated in other pivotal phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of retinal vein occlusion, according to a presenter here.Jean-François Korobelnik, MD, presented the results of a multicenter, prospective study of the efficacy of Ozurdex (dexamethasone 0.7 mg intravitreal implant, Allergan) at the Euretina Congress.
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Regression in drusen volume predictive of disease progression
LONDON — Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography measures drusen volume and area, not only at one time point but also over time, so that progression can be tracked and doubling time can be predicted, according to a speaker here.Ursula M. Schmidt-Erfurth, MD, told colleagues at the Euretina Congress that such analysis is a precise prognostic indicator of whether advanced stage disease will develop.