A review published in JAAD provides an updated overview of future treatments undergoing phase II and III clinical trials that may be used to treat pruritus from atopic dermatitis. New treatments are currently being investigated in patients with atopic dermatitis that have promising results on itch reduction, such as topical Ahr inhibitors, topical phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors, systemic IL-13 inhibitors, and systemic IL-31 inhibitors.
Some of the topical therapies under investigation include tapinarof, roflumilast, lotamilast, delgocitinib, brepocitinib, and others. Systemic therapies under investigation include lebrikizumab an IL-13 inhibitor; nemolizumab, an IL-31 inhibitor; etrasimod, a spingosine-1-phosphate modulator; and telazorlimab, an anti-OX40 monoclonal antibody.
Understanding and treating chronic itch. Read more about tackling itch inDermWorld.
DermWorld Insights and Inquiries: Prior authorization audits and innovations: Are we finally reducing the (PA)in?
There is little utility in defining prior authorization (PA) for prescription medications as it relates to the practice of dermatology, as each of us navigates this process and its stagnation every day. There have been several studies to qualify its obvious impact, including Guo et al cross-sectional analysis, citing PA submission itself being associated with decreased treatment initiation, denial of PA resulting in poor clinical outcomes, and PA approval promoting disease improvement but in delayed fashion. The use of PA-requiring medications by dermatologists is likely attenuated to avert these delays, and therefore the PA impact may be underappreciated. Keep reading!
Adverse events in patients with alopecia areata treated with JAK inhibitors
A systematic review published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology analyzed the literature on adverse events noted with the use of JAK inhibitors for the treatment of alopecia areata. The adverse events were mild, rare, and most commonly related to lab abnormalities (40%). Respiratory infections, acne, genitourinary symptoms, and gastrointestinal symptoms comprised the remaining adverse events. This study highlights the safety of JAK inhibitors for the treatment of alopecia areata, noted the study authors, and provides detailed information on the side-effect profiles for each drug.
What has research revealed about the pathogenesis of alopecia areata and other hair disorders as well as new potential therapeutics? Find out inDermWorld.
AMA finds nearly 1 in 3 physicians report being sued at least once
According to AMA survey data, about 31% of U.S. physicians have received a medical liability claim during their careers. The poll suggests physicians’ short-term risk of having a claim filed against them is relatively low but increases over time. Only 9.5% of physicians under the age of 40 said they have ever been sued as opposed to nearly 47% of those 55 and older.
Additionally, the frequency of reported claims changed across physicians’ gender and specialty. Specifically, the risk of a medical liability lawsuit was higher for physicians who were men as opposed to women (36.8% vs. 23.8%, respectively). Surgical specialties such as obstetricians/gynecologists (62.4% sued in career to date) and general surgeons (59.3%) more often reported being sued, with internal medicine subspecialties such as allergists/immunologists (7.1%) and hematologists/oncologists (8%) on the other end of the spectrum.
Cover your assets. Experts offer tips on getting the most out of malpractice insurance in DermWorld.
Do top-selling brand-name drugs in Medicare have added therapeutic benefit?
Authors of a study published in JAMA explored whether there was added therapeutic benefit of the 50 top-selling brand-name drugs in Medicare in 2020. Ratings from organizational bodies in Canada, France, and Germany were categorized as high (moderate or greater) or low (minor or no) added benefit.
Twenty-two of 36 drugs (61%) received a low added benefit rating in Canada, 24 of 47 in France (72%), and 17 of 29 in Germany (59%). Across the countries, 27 drugs (55%) had a low added therapeutic rating, accounting for $19.3 billion in annual estimated net spending or 35% of Medicare net spending on the top-selling drugs. Compared with those with high added benefit, drugs with a low added therapeutic rating were used by more Medicare beneficiaries. According to the study authors, many top-selling Medicare drugs received low added benefit ratings, so when negotiating for these drugs, Medicare should ensure they are not priced higher than reasonable alternatives.
AADA urges dermatologists to respond to AMA-Mathematica Physician Practice Expense Survey to ensure accurate Medicare pay rates
The AADA is one of more than 170 health care organizations supporting a new national study by the American Medical Association (AMA) and Mathematica that will collect representative data on physician practice expenses. The aim of the AMA Physician Practice Information Survey is to better understand the costs faced by today’s physician practices to support physician payment advocacy.
Dermatologists and their practices should look for invitations to complete the survey. Invitations and reminders about the costs survey will come from PPISurvey@mathematica-mpr.com with the subject line: “American Medical Association requests your input on physician practice expense and patient care hours.” Invitations and reminders about physician hours worked will come from PhysicianHoursSurvey@mathematica-mpr.com with the subject line: “Please help to update accurate physician payments.” Your input will ensure future pathology payment rates are accurate.
The study will serve as an opportunity to communicate accurate financial information to policymakers, including members of Congress and CMS. The survey will be administered from July 2023 – April 2024. Any questions about the survey should be directed to Mathematica and not the AADA.
The Medicare physician payment schedule, maintained by CMS, relies on outdated 2006 cost information to develop practice expense relative values, the Medicare Economic Index, and the physician payments. The input from physician practices and individual physicians will ensure that practice expenses and patient care hours are accurately reflected. Physicians will be randomly selected to participate, and your individual practice data will be kept private. Participation is voluntary but critical to the success of efforts to support accurate resource-based physician payment.
The American Academy of Dermatology is a non-profit professional organization and does not endorse companies or products. Advertising helps support our mission.
