Supply Chain

Armed with real-time data, today's supply chain professionals are increasingly called upon for strategic decision support across departments.

Genetic testing company 23andMe's direct-to-consumer breast cancer test, which screens for three specific gene mutations, received FDA approval March 6.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, criticized pharmacy benefit managers and health plans for inking contracts that don't favor biosimilars, Bloomberg reports.

Hospira recalled three lots of Hydromorphone HCl injection Feb. 7 after discovering the glass vials containing the opioid could be cracked or empty, according to a March 5 recall alert from the FDA.

Hospital leaders are laser-focused on reducing costs amid declining reimbursements. However, when making supply chain improvements, many leaders overlook one of the most expensive areas of the hospital to run: the operating room. 

Medication spend represents a major expense for hospitals, especially amid ever-increasing drug prices.

Drugmakers Biogen and AbbVie voluntarily withdrew their multiple sclerosis drug Zinbryta from the global market, following eight reported cases of brain inflammation in patients using the medication, reports Reuters.

Here are the three latest drugs or medical devices approved by the FDA this week.

The FDA approved Medtronic's Resolute Onyx drug-eluting stent Feb. 26 — making it the smallest drug-eluting stent on the U.S. market, according to the Star Tribune.

Medtronic signed a five-year partnership deal with Lehigh Valley Health Network, an eight-hospital organization in Allentown, Pa., to improve patient outcomes and minimize costs, CNBC reports.