Targeting IL-23 Succeeds in Psoriatic Arthritis
The monoclonal antibody risankizumab (Skyrizi) showed significant efficacy for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in two phase III randomized trials, a researcher reported. In the KEEPSAKE 1 and 2 trials, 1,407 patients with active PsA were randomly assigned to receive subcutaneous risankizumab, 150 mg, or placebo at baseline and then at weeks 4 and 16. On the […]
Remote BP Monitoring Dips a Toe Into Post-Acute Care
Remote physiologic monitoring (RPM) of blood pressure (BP) showed promise for post-acute patients transitioning to outpatient care, a small pilot study found. Twenty hypertension patients were discharged from Tennessee post-acute care facilities (e.g., long-term care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and skilled nursing facilities) and given a Bluetooth- or cellular-connected BP monitor and trained to use […]
Different Taxanes, Similar Outcomes in Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Final results from a routine-practice comparison of taxane agents showed that the drugs offered comparable safety and efficacy in advanced HER2-positive breast cancer. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was about 21 months and median overall survival (OS) was 65 months with dual anti-HER2 therapy and was similar among patients who received paclitaxel or docetaxel, as well […]
Is One BPH Procedure a Cut Above the Rest?
A large-scale analysis of treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) showed that complications are lowest after the UroLift Prostatic Urethral Lift (PUL) procedure, and real-world retreatment rates are highest for the Rezum steam injection therapy. While retreatment rates for PUL, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), and GreenLight Laser Prostatectomy were comparable over the course […]
Second-Gen Drug for HCM Emerges, Nipping at Mavacamten’s Heels
A second-generation cardiac myosin inhibitor showed promise for the treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in the phase II REDWOOD-HCM trial. In the dose-finding study, 10 weeks of treatment with aficamten brought resting left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradients down significantly compared with placebo before a 2-week washout period returned gradients to baseline, reported Martin […]
Blood Test Discerns Alzheimer’s From Other Dementia With High Accuracy
Two blood markers, phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217) and phosphorylated tau 181 (p-tau181), showed strong diagnostic performances for Alzheimer’s disease and discriminated Alzheimer’s from frontotemporal lobar denervation (FTLD) syndromes and normal cognition, a retrospective study showed. Both plasma biomarkers distinguished Alzheimer’s disease syndromes from non-Alzheimer’s disease disorders with a receiver operating characteristic area under the curve […]