Oral Corticosteroids Ease Preschoolers’ Acute Wheeze
Oral corticosteroids helped reduce wheeze severity and length of hospital stay in children experiencing acute preschool wheeze, a pooled analysis of patient-level randomized trial data showed. The medication reduced wheezing severity score (WSS) after 4 hours to a greater degree than did placebo (mean difference -0.31 on a 12-point scale, P=0.011). This, however, was not […]
Novel Drug Approved for All Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Variants
The FDA approved oral givinostat (Duvyzat) to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients ages 6 years and older, the agency announced Thursday. Givinostat is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that targets pathogenic processes to reduce inflammation and loss of muscle. It’s the first nonsteroidal drug approved for patients with all genetic variants of DMD, […]
Once-Weekly ART Showed Similar Efficacy for HIV as Daily ART
DENVER — A once-weekly oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen of the investigational drug islatravir, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor, with lenacapavir (Sunlenca) showed similar efficacy to daily oral ART in people with HIV, a phase II randomized study showed. The virologic suppression rate was 94.2% in both the patients who received the weekly regimen […]
Monthly ART Injections Top Pills for HIV Patients With Adherence Problems
Long-acting cabotegravir/rilpivirine (Cabenuva; CAB/RPV-LA) appeared superior to daily oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) in maintaining viral load suppression for people living with HIV who have trouble adhering to oral ART, according to an interim analysis of a phase III trial. At 52 weeks, numerically fewer patients assigned to monthly injections of CAB/RPV-LA experienced regimen failure — […]
Oral Drug Gains Steam as On-Demand Option for Hereditary Angioedema Attacks
WASHINGTON — The investigational oral drug sebetralstat provided on-demand relief during tissue swelling attacks from hereditary angioedema (HAE), a phase III study showed. Following self-administration, time to the beginning of symptom relief was reduced from a median 6.7 hours with placebo to 1.6 hours with a 300-mg dose of the plasma kallikrein inhibitor (P<0.0001) and […]
Novel Oral Antibiotic Effective Against Uncomplicated UTIs
Gepotidacin — a first-in-class oral antibiotic — appeared effective and safe for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a pair of large, phase III non-inferiority studies. In the two trials — EAGLE-2 and EAGLE-3 — the therapy was shown to be noninferior to nitrofurantoin, an antibiotic commonly used as a first-line therapy […]
High Response Rates in Psoriasis With Oral IL-23 Inhibitor
An oral interleukin (IL)-23 inhibitor for psoriasis produced 16-week response rates as high as 79% in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, a prospective phase II trial showed. The drug (JNJ-77242113) achieved response rates of 37% to 79% across five dose levels. In contrast, patients treated with placebo had a 9% response rate at 16 weeks. The most […]
Switch to Oral Antibiotics Noninferior in Low-Risk Staph Bloodstream Infections
An early switch to oral antibiotics in patients hospitalized with low-risk Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection was noninferior to IV antibiotics, according to the randomized controlled SABATO trial. In the trial’s intention-to-treat population, 13% of patients who switched to oral antibiotics developed complications related to S. aureus bloodstream infection (SAB) versus 12% in the group that […]
Add-On Clarithromycin Pans Out in Community-Acquired Pneumonia Trial
In a phase III trial, the addition of oral clarithromycin to beta-lactam antibiotic treatment improved the clinical response of people with community-acquired pneumonia who had systemic inflammatory response syndrome, findings that support existing guidelines. In the study, the proportion of patients meeting the primary composite endpoint after 72 hours of treatment — fulfilling criteria for […]
5 Mouthwashes That Dentists Say Are Actually Effective
Amazon Biotene oral rinse for dry mouth, CariFree fluoride rinse and ACT whitening mouthwash. Nothing can replace a dental health routine that makes brushing and flossing a priority. And if you’re especially particular about having fresh breath and clean teeth, you’re probably using mouthwash, too. But according to New York City-based dentist Dr. Azadeh Akhavan, […]