The New York Times (7/9, Abelson, Robbins ) says, “The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday sharply criticized pharmacy benefit managers, saying in a scathing 71-page report that ‘these powerful middlemen may be profiting by inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies.’” FTC Chair Lina Khan “said the agency’s inquiry had shown ‘how dominant pharmacy benefit managers can hike the cost of drugs – including overcharging patients for cancer drugs.’” Khan “went on to say that the agency found evidence of ‘how PBMs can squeeze independent pharmacies that many Americans – especially those in rural communities – depend on for essential care.’”

Reuters (7/9, Aboulenein, Godoy , Wingrove, Niasse) reports, “The consolidation of pharmacies and health insurance companies through years of deal making has led to a handful of pharmacy benefit managers exercising outsized influence over prescription drug prices, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday.” The agency “argues the three biggest PBMs – managing 79% of U.S. prescription drug claims – have greatly enriched themselves at the expense of smaller pharmacies and consumers, according to an interim staff report calling for possible greater regulation.”

The Hill (7/9, Weixel ) says, “Six of the largest PBMs control nearly 95% of all prescriptions, according to the report.”

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— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (7/9, DePeau-Wilson ) reports, “Almost half of youths who boarded in the emergency department awaiting inpatient psychiatric care were never admitted to such a facility, according to a cross-sectional study from Massachusetts.” The research found that “of 4,942 episodes of youth boarding in the ED for 3 or more midnights, just 56% resulted in inpatient admission, and certain groups were less likely to get to that point.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics. “ In this cross-sectional study including 4942 episodes of youth boarding for at least 3 midnights, transgender and nonbinary youth were 9.1% less likely to be admitted and boarded 2.2 days longer than cisgender females; these differences were statistically significant. Black youth were 4.3% less likely to be admitted than their White peers, also statistically significant… A total of 1337 youth (27%) were younger than 13 years. Depression was the most common diagnosis (2138 [43%]).”

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Healio (7/9, Rhoades) reports research suggests that “in the United States, 41,116 people died by suicide in 2021, making suicides the leading type of violent death that year.” The research found that “among suicide victims, when the circumstances were known (84.4%), the suicide was often preceded by mental health conditions, as 49% of victims were currently diagnosed with a mental health problem and 29.2% experienced a depressed mood at the time of death.” The findings were published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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— “CDC: Suicides made up majority of violent deaths in 2021/a>,”Andrew (Drew) Rhoades , Healio, July 9, 2024

Psychiatric News (7/8) reports, “According to APA’s latest Healthy Minds poll, an overwhelming majority of Americans who participate in sports either competitively or recreationally say that it benefits their mental health.” The poll found that “84% of those who participate in sports said it benefits their mental health.” Additionally, “73% of respondents said that team sports are very or somewhat beneficial for children and teenagers’ mental health.” APA President Ramaswamy Viswanathan, MD, Dr. Med. Sc., said, “You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to reap the mental health benefits of exercise and sports. … Getting together with a group of friends, working out, having a hobby, all these aspects of sports can be good for positive mental health.” APA CEO and Medical Director Marketa M. Wills, MD, MBA, said, “In recent years we’ve heard Olympic and professional athletes share stories about their own mental health challenges. … Their courage and openness helps others understand that it’s okay to take a break or ask for help when needed.”

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— “Adults Who Play Sports Say It Helps Their Mental Health, Psychiatric News , July 8, 2024

Medscape (7/5, Swift Yasgur , Subscription Publication) reported, “Early in-hospital administration of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics following a first admission for schizophrenia is linked to a significantly lower risk for hospital readmission, new research suggested.” Researchers “found that readmission rates increased in those who received LAIs with early discontinuation and decreased among their counterparts who received LAIs without early discontinuation compared with patients not receiving LAIs.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

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The Washington Post (7/3, Ovalle ) reported, “Public health experts and officials are amplifying their warnings about the risks of unregulated and sometimes illegal products advertised on social media and easily purchased online or in vape shops.” Some of these products “claim to contain the hallucinogenic mushroom compound psilocybin, which is legal for use in two states but illegal federally.” And “some products contain potentially harmful synthetic chemicals or extracts from a sometimes-toxic mushroom known as amanita muscaria.”

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MedPage Today (7/2, Kahn) reports, “Older adults who experienced delirium while hospitalized for COVID-19 had increases in functional disability and cognitive impairment in the 6 months after discharge, according to a prospective cohort study.” In the study, patients “with delirium had increased functional disability (rate ratio 1.32, 95% CI 1.05-1.66) and cognitive impairment (odds ratio 2.48, 95% CI 1.38-4.82) over the 6 months after discharge compared with those without in-hospital delirium, reported” researchers in JAMA Network Open.

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Healio (7/2, Jenkins) reports, “Youth with autism spectrum disorder and psychiatric comorbidities were more likely to be hospitalized and show greater symptom severity, which led to prolonged hospital stays and higher costs, according to study results.” In the study, “results showed patients with ASD and comorbid impulse control disorders had the highest likelihood of psychiatric hospitalization (OR = 7.2; 95% CI, 6.47-8.07), followed by disruptive behavior disorders (OR = 2.5; 95% CI, 2.2-2.77) and mood disorders (OR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.99-2.41).” These findings were presented at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.

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— “Psychiatric comorbidities increase odds of hospitalization among youth with ASD,”Cassandra Jenkins, Healio, July 2, 2024

MedPage Today (7/1, DePeau-Wilson ) reports, “Multiple first-line antidepressant medications were broadly linked with weight gain, although bupropion (Wellbutrin) had the least amount of weight change, according to observational data.” In a two-year study, “the estimated weight gain was lower for bupropion compared with sertraline (Zoloft) – the most commonly prescribed antidepressant in the analysis – at 6 months (difference -0.80 kg, 95% CI -1.26 to -0.42 kg), according to” researchers. Additionally, six-month weight gain was higher for “escitalopram (Lexapro): difference 0.41 kg (95% CI 0.31-0.52 kg); paroxetine (Brisdelle): difference 0.37 kg (95% CI 0.20-0.54 kg); duloxetine (Cymbalta): difference 0.34 kg (95% CI 0.22-0.44 kg); venlafaxine (Effexor): difference 0.17 kg (95% CI 0.03-0.31 kg);” and “citalopram (Celexa): difference 0.12 kg (95% CI 0.02-0.23 kg)” than bupropion. These results were published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

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The New York Times (6/30, Philipps) reports research suggests brain damage experienced by Navy SEALs who died by suicide “may be just as widespread in SEALs who are still alive. A Harvard study, published this spring, scanned the brains of 30 career Special Operators and found an association between blast exposure and altered brain structure and compromised brain function.” Additionally, “the more blast exposure the men had experienced, the more problems they reported with health and quality of life.” The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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