American Society of Hematology

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New House Drug Shortage Bill Focuses on FDA Reforms
February 2, 2012
Bipartisan House legislation introduced on January 31 would expedite Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review of drugs in shortage, improve communication within the agency and with stakeholders about possible shortages, and increase Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) quotas for medications in short supply.

CME Article in Blood: Aspirin or Enoxaparin Thromboprophylaxis for Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Treated with Lenalidomide
January 27, 2012
Lenalidomide plus dexamethasone is effective in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) but is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

ASH Policy Opposes Mandatory Sickle Cell Trait Screening for Athletic Participation, Recommends Universal Training Interventions & Additional Research
January 26, 2012
The American Society of Hematology (ASH), the world’s largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders, today issued a policy statement opposing mandatory screening of athletes for sickle cell trait as a prerequisite to athletic participation and urging athletics programs to adopt universal preventive interventions in their training programs to protect athletes from exertion-related illness and death.

Congress Begins Consideration of Physician Payment; Advocacy Needed NOW to Avert Medicare Cuts March 1
January 25, 2012
Congress is beginning negotiations on pressing legislative priorities, including legislation to avert a potential 27.4 percent cut in Medicare physician payment rates.

ASH Makes Recommendations to Implement Clinical Trials Coverage Provision of Health Reform Law
January 19, 2012
Under the terms of an ASH-supported provision contained in the health reform law, insurers would be prohibited from dropping coverage because an individual chooses to participate in a clinical trial and from denying coverage for routine care that they would otherwise provide just because an individual is enrolled in a clinical trial.

GRANT Act Would Require Publication of All Research Grant Proposals; Causes Alarm in Research Community
January 19, 2012
The Grant Reform and New Transparency (GRANT) Act (H.R. 3433) is raising alarm throughout the research community.

Congress Faces Tight Budgetary Squeeze for FY 2013
January 19, 2012
Congressional leaders have returned to Washington and are in the midst of initial planning for the annual spending bills.

FDA Approves Glucarpidase Injection For Treatment Of Toxic Plasma Methotrexate Concentrations In Patients With Delayed Clearance Due To Impaired Renal Function
January 18, 2012
On January 17, 2012, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration approved glucarpidase injection (Voraxaze^®, BTG International Inc.) for the treatment of toxic plasma methotrexate concentrations (> 1 μmol/L) in patients with delayed methotrexate clearance due to impaired renal function.

January 2012 APP Update
January 17, 2012
While Medicare annually updates payment rates for inflation for most provider services, physician services are updated by a formula mandated in legislation known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR).

Congress Returns to Washington, Faces March 1 Deadline to Avert Medicare Physician Payment Cuts
January 17, 2012
The House of Representatives has returned from a winter break and is slowly beginning deliberations on pressing legislative priorities, including legislation to avert a potential 27.4 percent cut in Medicare physician payment rates.

FDA Drug Safety Communication: New Boxed Warning and Contraindication for Adcetris (Brentuximab Vedotin)
January 17, 2012
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is notifying the public that two additional cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare but serious brain infection that can result in death, have been reported with the lymphoma drug Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin). Due to the serious nature of PML, a new Boxed Warning highlighting this risk has been added to the drug label.

Drug Shortages Update
January 13, 2012
Over the past year, shortages of drugs used to treat patients with hematologic malignancies, including leukemia and lymphoma, have become critical and life-threatening.