Linaclotide Eases Abdominal Symptoms in IBS With Constipation
Linaclotide (Linzess) significantly alleviated abdominal symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients with predominant constipation compared with placebo, researchers found in a randomized study. Using an abdominal score that averaged abdominal bloating, discomfort, and pain on an 11-point scale, the average overall change from baseline was -1.9 for patients treated with linaclotide and -1.2 for […]
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, […]
Mobilizing ICU Patients May Not Affect Risk of Adverse Events, Death
Mobilizing patients who required mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) was associated with a less than 3% risk of adverse events such as falls, desaturation, and hemodynamic instability, a systematic review and meta-analysis found. Compared with usual care, very-low-certainty evidence showed that mobilization did not lead to adverse events (risk ratio [RR] 1.09, […]
Long COVID Patients, Advocates Rally for More Research, Funding, and Attention
WASHINGTON — Long COVID patients and allies rallied in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Friday — International Long COVID Awareness Day — to demand that the federal government spend more money on long COVID research and reinstate mask mandates in healthcare facilities, among other actions. “We need resources for every man, woman, and child […]
MedPAC Members Pan Rural Hospitals’ ‘Cost-Plus’ Billing System for Medicare Patients
Rural hospitals’ ability to bill fee-for-service Medicare patients and the uninsured on a “cost-plus” basis — essentially setting their charges at whatever level they think is appropriate — is untenable and must be changed, several members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) said Thursday. “Charges are made up, inflated in ways that are unbelievable,” […]
Novel Regimens Yield High Response Rates for Older, Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients
Older patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma unsuitable for conventional chemotherapy had high rates of durable responses with two brentuximab vedotin (BV; Adcetris) regimens, one that omitted chemotherapy, a small prospective study showed. Brentuximab plus the alkylating agent dacarbazine (DTIC) produced an objective response rate (ORR) of 95% in 22 patients, whereas brentuximab plus nivolumab (Opdivo) […]
Vismodegib-RT Regimen Achieves High Rate of Disease Control in Head and Neck BCC
More than 90% of patients with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the head and neck achieved locoregional control (LRC) with vismodegib (Erivedge) and radiation therapy (RT), a small clinical trial showed. LRC at 1 year was 91% after vismodegib induction therapy followed by concurrent vismodegib and RT. The overall response rate was 63% […]
In TNBC, Pathologic Complete Response May Vary by Race/Ethnicity
Among patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the odds of achieving pathologic complete response (pCR) and improved overall survival (OS) may vary by race/ethnicity, according to results from a retrospective cohort study. Compared with white women, Black women with TNBC were less likely to achieve pCR (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.83-0.95, […]
Dupilumab Cuts Lung Inflammation, Breaks Up Mucus Plugs in Asthma Patients
WASHINGTON — Dupilumab (Dupixent) reduced airway inflammation and increased lung capacity in patients with uncontrolled, moderate-to-severe asthma, while also reducing troublesome mucus plugs, a multinational postmarketing study showed. In the randomized study, treatment with dupilumab led to significant reductions in airway inflammation at 24 weeks, with 57% achieving a fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) level […]
FDA Approves Antibiotic Combination for Complicated UTIs
The FDA approved the combination of cefepime and enmetazobactam (Exblifep) for the treatment of adult patients with complicated urinary tract infections, including pyelonephritis. The agency’s decision was based on data from the phase III ALLIUM trial in which the β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination demonstrated superiority over piperacillin/tazobactam. Clinical efficacy was shown for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and among […]