Murky Water

Brief Commentary: The Glycemic Target Guideline Controversy: Same Evidence, Different Perspectives, and a Proposal for Common Ground

Oversight of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research: Recommendations From a Delphi Panel

A key aim of patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) is to generate data that are important to patients by deliberately and extensively involving them in all aspects of research, from design to dissemination. However, certain elements of PCOR raise challenging and potentially novel ethical and regulatory issues for institutional review boards and oversight bodies. These challenges stem primarily from the engagement of patients in roles other than research subject, such as advisors, study personnel, and co-investigators, which gives rise to questions about appropriate levels of protection, training, and education, as well as identifying and managing conflicts of interest. This article presents and discusses recommendations from a Delphi expert panel that was convened to address these and other PCOR-related oversight challenges.

Dialysis Without Borders

Women Deserve Better Health Care

Variation in Prescription Drug Prices by Retail Pharmacy Type: A National Cross-sectional Study: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 171, No 9

Background: Cash prices for prescription drugs vary widely in the United States. Objective: To describe cash price variation by retail pharmacy type for 10 generic and 6 brand-name drugs throughout the United States and stratified by ZIP code. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Drug pricing data from GoodRx, an online tool for comparing drug prices, representing more than 60 000 U.S. pharmacies (fall 2015). Measurements: Cash prices for a 1-month supply of generic and brand-name drugs were ascertained. Stratified by ZIP code, relative cash prices for groups of generic and brand-name drugs were estimated for big box, grocery-based, small chain, and independent pharmacies compared with a reference group of large chain pharmacies. Results: Across 16 325 ZIP codes, 68 353 unique pharmacy stores contributed cash prices. When stratified by 5-digit ZIP code, the relative cash prices for generic drugs at big box, grocery-based, small chain, and independent pharmacies compared with those at large chain pharmacies were 0.52 (95% CI, 0.51 to 0.53), 0.82 (CI, 0.81 to 0.83), 1.51 (CI, 1.45 to 1.56), and 1.61 (CI, 1.58 to 1.64), respectively. The relative cash prices for brand-name drugs were 0.97 (CI, 0.96 to 0.97), 1.00 (CI, 0.99 to 1.00), 1.06 (CI, 1.05 to 1.08), and 1.03 (CI, 1.02 to 1.04), respectively. Limitation: Results may not reflect current drug prices and do not account for point-of-sale discounts or price matching that may be offered by smaller pharmacies. Conclusion: Compared with large chains, independent pharmacies and small chains had the highest cash prices for generic drugs and big box pharmacies the lowest. Relative differences in cash prices for brand-name drugs were modest across types of retail pharmacies. Primary Funding Source: Arnold Ventures.

Changes in Drug Pricing After Drug Shortages in the United States

Making the Voices of Female Trainees Heard

Zika in 2018: Advising Travelers Amid Changing Incidence

Why “More Research Is Needed,” Despite Overall Certainty: Women and Colorectal Cancer Screening