AHRQ at 35; Canadian drugs for Floridians; taking plastic to heart – Morning Medical Update

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A 35th birthday for medical research

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. Here, agency Director Robert Otto Valdez, PhD, MHSA, discusses its place in the history of patient safety research. Check out the historic timeline as well.

Drugs from up north

Florida made national news receiving national approval this year to import certain prescription drugs from Canada in an effort to lower prices of medications. Will that happen, or is Canada more interested in maintaining its own pharmaceutical supplies? Check out the latest policy analysis by Managed Healthcare Executive, a sister publication to Medical Economics.

Plastic, plastic everywhere

Various scientific tests show microplastics and nanoplastics seem to get everywhere – including in the plaque that clogs arteries and leads to heart attacks and strokes. Researchers said their study in the New England Journal of Medicine does not prove causality and results may not be generalizable. But it may be disconcerting to ponder tiny bits of plastic circulating in the body.