First-line immunotherapy versus targeted therapy in patients with -mutant advanced melanoma: a real-world analysis.

To compare effectiveness of nivolumab + ipilimumab (NIVO + IPI) versus BRAF + MEK inhibitors (BRAFi + MEKi) in patients with -mutant advanced melanoma in the real-world setting. This study used the Flatiron Health electronic medical record database. After adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics, NIVO + IPI was associated with a 32% reduction in risk of death versus BRAFi + MEKi.

Angiotensin II for the treatment of distributive shock in the intensive care unit: A US cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: Patients with distributive shock who are unresponsive to traditional vasopressors are commonly considered to have severe distributive shock and are at high mortality risk. Here, we assess the cost-effectiveness of adding angiotensin II to the standard of care (SOC) for severe distributive shock in the US critical care setting from a US payer perspective.

Methods: Short-term mortality outcomes were based on 28-day survival rates from the ATHOS-3 study.

Specialty Drug Price Trends in the Federal 340B Drug Discount Program.

Background: The federal 340B Drug Discount Program provides access to significant drug price discounts for health care organizations in the United States that serve a disproportional share of disadvantaged patients.

Objective: To analyze trends over a 10-year period (2006~2016) in the price of specialty drugs, contrasting the market price with the price paid under the 340B program.

Methods: Pharmacy purchase records, including the 340B drug price and the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC), were collected from a 340B-contract pharmacy group in Southern California between 2006 and 2016.

Statistical identification of gene association by CID in application of constructing ER regulatory network.

Background: A variety of high-throughput techniques are now available for constructing comprehensive gene regulatory networks in systems biology. In this study, we report a new statistical approach for facilitating in silico inference of regulatory network structure. The new measure of association, coefficient of intrinsic dependence (CID), is model-free and can be applied to both continuous and categorical distributions.