Page 218 - Mployee Wellness Programs News Today

Johnson & Johnson is seeking FDA approval of a multiple myeloma drug that could become the first one addressing a novel target called GPRC5D. Data from the Phase 1/2 study supporting the biologics license application were presented in New Orleans during the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

Avenda Health, a startup focused on personalized prostate cancer care, recently received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its cancer mapping platform. The platform uses a patient’s own diagnostic data to define the extent of the disease and create a cancer probability map with optimal treatment margins.

Health benefit costs increased 3.2% in 2022, but employers are expecting costs to jump even higher in 2023, a Mercer report showed. Employers' top priorities right now are providing benefits that attract and retain employees and boosting mental health support.

In partnering with clinical-stage Arcellx, Gilead Sciences gains the opportunity to develop a cell therapy for multiple myeloma that could offer advantages over currently available therapies for the blood cancer. The deal announced Friday came as Arcellx reported additional data during the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology that showed continued durability of the cell therapy. 

The White House launched a new initiative to address the country’s opioid crisis — a dashboard tracking non-fatal opioid overdoses. The new tool is meant to track overdose clusters to inform better medical responses and preparedness.

The Food as Medicine movement has received a lot of interest from payers and health systems recently. But employers need to get involved too, argues Dr. Bipin Mistry, chief medical officer of Alight.

The annual open enrollment period is the right time to proactively address common benefits knowledge roadblocks with more in-depth education and communications.

Instead of trying to fix access issues by adding more office-based doctors, health systems should consider how to best implement a program that utilizes Virtualists for workforce expansion.

Women’s health has been historically underfunded — in terms of both research dollars and venture capital investment. Lawmakers can’t craft effective policy nor can startups innovate in the women’s health space without good data and research, said panelists at a recent healthcare conference in Washington, D.C.

Enthea, a benefit plan administrator, works with self-insured employers to provide insurance coverage for psychedelic-assisted therapy. The company has gained $2 million in seed funding, led by Tabula Rasa Ventures. With the money, it is planning a nationwide rollout.