Good, and Safe, Results Tied to Oral Testosterone in Men With Deficiency
MIAMI — Oral testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) seemed safe and effective in men with testosterone deficiency, according to a meta-analysis. Among nine studies that looked at changes in serum total testosterone, only men with testosterone deficiency who took an oral agent — predominantly testosterone undecanoate — saw a significant increase in total testosterone, with a […]
Oral Microbiome Therapy Tied to Low Recurrence of C. Diff
A potential first-in-class investigational microbiome therapeutic, SER-109, was safe and observed to sustain low Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) recurrence rates for adults, according to the phase III, single-arm ECOSPOR IV study. Recurrence of C. diff infections occurred in 8.7% of patients at week 8 after receiving a short course of capsules containing purified Firmicutes bacteria […]
Vaccine Candidates for RSV Ward Off Severe Illness in Older Adults
WASHINGTON — Prefusion F protein vaccine candidates for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) proved safe in adults 60 and up while demonstrating an ability to thwart lower respiratory tract illness, including severe cases, a pair of large phase III trials showed. A single dose of an RSV prefusion F protein vaccine (RSVPreF3 OA) yielded a vaccine […]
Mitral Valve Repair Devices Go Head-to-Head, and the Top Spot Belongs to…
BOSTON — The Pascal device for edge-to-edge mitral valve repair was as safe and effective as the MitraClip device, the pivotal CLASP IID trial showed. In a pre-specified interim analysis of the first 180 patients enrolled, Pascal was non-inferior for the primary effectiveness endpoint of proportion of patients with mitral regurgitation no worse than 2+ […]
COVID mRNA Vaccines Safe, Effective for Babies and Toddlers, Says FDA Staff
Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccines proved safe and effective for kids under 5 years of age, paving the way for immunization of the only age group still awaiting access, according to FDA briefing documents released ahead of 2 days of advisory meetings. On Tuesday, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet […]
Brentuximab Vedotin-Chemo Boosts EFS in High-Risk Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma
CHICAGO — A combination of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) and chemotherapy was safe and effective in pediatric patients (up to age 21 years) with newly diagnosed high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma, a researcher reported here. In the phase III study, a regimen of brentuximab vedotin (Bv) combined with doxorubicin, vincristine, etoposide, prednisone, and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy (AVE-PC) was superior […]
Alcohol may be more risky to the heart than previously thought
Levels of alcohol consumption currently considered safe by some countries are linked with development of heart failure, according to research presented at Heart Failure 2022, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 “This study adds to the body of evidence that a more cautious approach to alcohol consumption is needed,” said study […]
Vaginal Estrogen ‘Underutilized’ in Women With GSM After Breast Cancer
NEW ORLEANS — While vaginal estrogen therapy is safe and effective for genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), few women who have had breast cancer use it, researchers reported here. Breast cancer survivors with GSM were half as likely to be prescribed vaginal estrogen compared to women with GSM and no history of breast cancer (11% […]
What Doctors Want You To Know About Abortion Right Now
Since 1973, Roe v. Wade has protected the right of all Americans to access safe and legal abortions. But a leaked document published by Politico on Monday shows that the federal protections conferred by Roe may be struck down by the Supreme Court this summer. If Roe falls, the legality of abortion will be determined […]
New miniature heart could help speed heart disease cures
There’s no safe way to get a close-up view of the human heart as it goes about its work: you can’t just pop it out, take a look, then slot it back in. Scientists have tried different ways to get around this fundamental problem: they’ve hooked up cadaver hearts to machines to make them pump […]