Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
PHILADELPHIA — Fezolinetant (Veozah) improved menopause-related vasomotor symptoms in women unsuited or unwilling to take hormone therapy, according to a pooled analysis of two phase III studies. The analysis of the SKYLIGHT-1 and -2 trials showed significant improvements with two different dosages of the newly approved drug versus placebo in both the frequency and severity […]
Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
PHILADELPHIA — Loneliness among both seniors and younger people is a health problem that needs more attention, Kelsey McNamara, MPH, senior director of research at Papa, an organization that provides paid companionship to people in need of social support, said at the Population Health Colloquium here. “Loneliness increases the risk of premature death, independent of […]
Opinion | ‘The Evil Hand Is Mother Nature’: What We Heard This Week
“The evil hand is mother nature.” — Paul Offit, MD, of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, explaining why Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine work is not gain-of-function research. “We’ve been doing a lot more amputations over the last couple of years for really bad necrotic wounds and dysfunctional limbs and infections that go all the way down to […]
Novel BTK Inhibitor Looks Good for Sjogren’s Syndrome
PHILADELPHIA — Remibrutinib, an investigational Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, appeared effective in reducing signs of Sjogren’s syndrome in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Scores on the EULAR Sjogren’s Syndrome Activity Index (ESSDAI), a comprehensive measure of Sjogren’s severity, fell by 2.86 points with the oral drug relative to placebo during the 24-week trial, according to […]
Twelve-Month Data Back Pegloticase-Methotrexate Gout Combo
PHILADELPHIA — Previous findings that adding methotrexate to pegloticase (Krystexxa) in patients with gout was more effective than pegloticase alone have now been extended to a full year of treatment. At month 12 in the randomized, 152-patient MIRROR RCT trial, 60% of patients receiving the combination had serum urate levels below the target of 6 […]
Want a Few Weeks of Knee Pain Relief? Try This
PHILADELPHIA — Blocking agents delivered to genicular nerves around the knee markedly reduced osteoarthritis patients’ perceptions of pain, far more than those receiving placebo injections, a randomized trial showed. At week 4 following the injections, patients in the nerve block group reported mean reductions in pain scores of 3.0 points from baseline on a standard […]
Philadelphia Restores Indoor Mask Mandate Amid New Wave Of COVID-19 Cases
Philadelphia is restoring its indoor mask mandate as the number of COVID-19 cases rise across the region. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced the reinstatement of the mandate on Monday, giving residents and businesses a “one-week educational period” to prepare for the change. Advertisement COVID-19 rates are rising in Philadelphia, with an average of […]