Tissue-specific modulation of NADH consumption as an anti-aging intervention in Drosophila.

Aging is characterized by extensive metabolic dysregulation. Redox coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) can exist in oxidized (NAD) or reduced (NADH) states, which together form a key NADH/NAD redox pair. Total levels of NAD decline with age in a tissue-specific manner, thereby playing a significant role in the aging process.

Ultra-complex specialty medications: Meeting the challenges of significant medication requirements through an integrated specialty pharmacy model.

Purpose: There is a growing number of specialty medications with accompanying requirements that exceed standard characteristics, which may be referred to as "ultra complex." This article details examples of ultra-complex specialty medications, including the characteristics that make them ultra complex, and strategies implemented by an integrated health-system specialty pharmacy (IHSSP) to maintain an optimal patient journey.

Summary: Before therapy initiation, ultra-complex specialty medications often require additional steps that go beyond what is required of traditional specialty treatments, such as ensuring patients have appointments scheduled and attended and coordinating medical procedures.

Iron regulatory protein 1 is required for the propagation of inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are complex disorders. Iron accumulates in the inflamed tissue of IBD patients, yet neither a mechanism for the accumulation nor its implication on the course of inflammation is known. We hypothesized that the inflammation modifies iron homeostasis, affects tissue iron distribution, and that this in turn perpetuates the inflammation.

A primer on copay accumulators, copay maximizers, and alternative funding programs.

Insurer or self-insured employer's plans are increasingly using copay accumulator, copay maximizer, and alternative funding programs (AFPs) to reduce plan spending on high-priced prescriptions. These programs differ in their structure and impact on patient affordability but typically decrease the insurer or self-insured employer's financial responsibility for high-priced drugs and increase the complexity of specialty medication access for patients. The aim of this primer is to describe the structure of copay accumulator, copay maximizer, and AFPs to improve understanding of these cost-shifting strategies and help clinicians and patients navigate medication access and affordability issues to minimize treatment delays or non-initiation.

Evaluating patient-reported adherence and outcomes in specialty disease states: A dual-site initiative.

Background: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are often used by clinicians to evaluate patient response to specialty medications used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatologic conditions. Identifying associations among PROs and patient characteristics could inform patient-centered treatment monitoring.

Objective: To examine the association among patient characteristics and PROs, including patient-reported adherence (defined as no missed doses), medication tolerance, patient perceived effectiveness, and health care resource utilization (HCRU; defined as emergency department visits or hospitalizations), for patients prescribed specialty medications in 2 health system specialty pharmacies.