Clinical

Panelists discuss how the CONVOKE clinical trial was designed as a 16-week study focusing specifically on patients with negative symptoms, incorporating patient input in app development and showing improvements in negative symptoms, depression, and cognitive function even in chronically ill patients.

Panelists discuss how prescription digital therapeutics are currently used in clinical practice, noting that while none are yet approved for schizophrenia, CT-155 shows promise in phase 3 trials, and existing PDTs like Rejoyn for depression demonstrate the potential for technology-based interventions.

Panelists discuss how guideline-directed medical therapy has evolved to include 4-pillar treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor‐neprilysin inhibitors, β-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, SGLT2 inhibitors) that can reduce mortality by up to 60% and extend life by 6 years, though significant implementation gaps remain, with only about one-third of eligible patients receiving appropriate therapy, necessitating rapid initiation of all 4 drug classes within weeks rather than sequential titration.

Panelists discuss how effective heart failure management requires collaborative care across multiple specialties (primary care, cardiology, endocrinology, nephrology) with advanced practice providers serving as dedicated coordinators, utilizing multidisciplinary teams and algorithm-driven care protocols to optimize patient outcomes and prevent the hot potato approach to complex comorbidities.

Experts at the Skin of Color Update highlighted the potential benefits of GLP-1 RAs in managing obesity, as well as psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa symptom management.

Arthritis is not one disease, and it has an impact that extends far beyond the well-known osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.

Vivek Subbiah, MD, says artificial intelligence (AI) should assist clinicians in precision oncology, not replace human decision-making.

An expert discusses how rilzabrutinib’s covalent reversible binding mechanism provides a favorable safety profile with only manageable grade 1 to 2 toxicities and no cardiovascular or bleeding complications, unlike earlier irreversible Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors.

An expert discusses how the phase 3 LUNA 3 trial demonstrated that rilzabrutinib achieved durable platelet responses in 23% of patients while also being the first prospective trial to show significant improvements across all quality-of-life metrics.

Surgeons are more likely to perform opportunistic salpingectomy when their peers have done so, underscoring the impact of physician networks in ovarian cancer prevention.

Efgartigimod shows promising efficacy over IV immunoglobulin in treating impending myasthenic crisis in patients with myasthenia gravis.

US pediatric influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE) cases surged during the 2024-2025 season, highlighting severe health risks and the need for better surveillance.

A retrospective multicenter study found that patients with heart failure discharged by noon had higher short- and long-term mortality and increased early readmission rates compared with afternoon discharges.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding clinical trial access and enabling drug repurposing, according to Vivek Subbiah, MD.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3b or 4 experienced slower decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate 20 months after enrollment in a value-based kidney care program.

Aumolertinib was compared against osimertinib to demonstrate its efficacy in those with mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Rilzabrutinib (Wayrilz; Sanofi) may improve immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) outcomes, enable early intervention, and enhance patient quality of life.

Scott Soefje, PharmD, MBA, BCOP, discusses how remote patient monitoring and caregiver support enable safe outpatient delivery of bispecific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates.

Panelists discuss how prescription digital therapeutics can serve the psychological and social components of schizophrenia treatment while potentially improving medication adherence, similar to how digital monitoring tools enhance outcomes in other chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension.

Panelists discuss how the global shortage of psychiatrists contributes to patient burden by necessitating expanded training for other health care professionals, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, primary care doctors, and law enforcement to recognize and manage schizophrenia symptoms.

Panelists discuss how negative symptoms create significant patient burden by appearing during the prodromal period in late adolescence and requiring a comprehensive biopsychosocial treatment approach that addresses biological, psychological, and social aspects of care.

Panelists discuss how the greatest unmet needs include addressing poor outcomes in specific subsets like TP53-mutant disease, managing the increasingly older population with secondary mutations, and ensuring global access to targeted therapies and next-generation sequencing.

Panelists discuss how fitness assessment has evolved beyond traditional age cutoffs to incorporate comprehensive geriatric assessments, frailty measures, and individualized evaluations, while questioning whether intensive therapy should automatically be given to fit patients given newer effective treatment options.

Three researchers received the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering regulatory T cells and the Foxp3 gene, which revealed how the immune system prevents autoimmune disease.

Panelists discuss how heart failure classification involves HFrEF vs HFpEF distinctions and staging systems (A through D), with the greatest prevention opportunities existing in early stages A and B, where patients have risk factors or subclinical dysfunction but haven’t yet developed overt clinical symptoms.