Healthcare Part of White House Plan for Preventing Gun Violence
WASHINGTON — Connecting people likely to commit gun violence to physical and behavioral healthcare is part of the Biden administration’s gun violence prevention strategy, the White House announced Wednesday. “You will have heard President Biden, again and again, call the nation’s attention to what he has said is a public health epidemic: gun violence,” a […]
National News Trump has leg swelling checked, diagnosed with common condition in older adults Associated Press
WASHINGTON, DC — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday read a doctor’s letter about President Donald Trump that she said was intended to dispel health concerns about the swelling in his ankles and a makeup-covered hand. Leavitt said Trump noticed “mild swelling” in his lower legs and was evaluated by the White House […]
Mixing Science and Politics Leads to Trouble, Former NIH Director Says
WASHINGTON — “When you mix politics and science, you just get politics.” Former NIH director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, made that comment Tuesday at an event here sponsored by The Atlantic as he reflected on the lessons he learned from his early experiences during the COVID pandemic. And although the country’s political polarization became more […]
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 […]
Epinephrine Nasal Spray Starts Reversing Allergic Reactions in Minutes
WASHINGTON — Although FDA approval has eluded the intranasal epinephrine spray ARS-1 (also known as neffy), it continued to build its case with findings of resolved allergic symptoms in children and teenagers undergoing an oral food challenge, and with a separate study showing that it maintained its potency under extreme temperatures. In a small observational […]
Novel Antibody for Chronic Hives Brings Relief in Mid-Stage Trial
WASHINGTON — Barzolvolimab, a first-in-class anti-KIT monoclonal antibody, reduced the severity of hives in adults with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) who remained symptomatic on antihistamines, a randomized phase II trial showed. Compared with placebo, several doses of the investigational drug produced greater improvement in the 7-day Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7) from baseline to week 12: […]
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 […]
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 […]
Benralizumab Matches Mepolizumab for Rare Vasculitis
WASHINGTON — Treatment with benralizumab (Fasenra) was noninferior to mepolizumab (Nucala) for relapsing or refractory eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), the randomized MANDARA trial showed. Among 140 patients receiving standard therapy, the adjusted percentage of patients with remission at weeks 36 and 48 was 59% in the benralizumab group and 56% in the mepolizumab group, […]
USMLE Scores for Nepali Docs Will Remain Invalidated, Judge Rules
A Washington D.C. district court judge denied an emergency motion to restore score validity for 832 Nepali medical graduates whose U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores were invalidated due to accusations of cheating. Last week, Latika Giri, MBBS, a Nepali medical graduate who lives in Kathmandu, Nepal, launched a class action lawsuit against the National […]