Clinical

Pandemic-era policies that made it easier for patients to receive opioid addiction treatment will continue permanently; the Biden administration is facing pressure from Democrats and reproductive health groups to make sure the first OTC birth control pill is affordable; a FDA expert panel on Friday is set to resume the debate over how to make pulse oximeters more accurate for people with darker skin.

Although rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) are higher than previous estimates, OUD was relatively stable or decreasing over time in patients with HIV.

Experts discuss the necessity of ESR1 mutation testing when considering treatment with elacestrant in patients with estrogen receptor–positive (ER+)/HER2-negative (HER2–) metastatic breast cancer and discuss unmet needs in this patient population. They also describe options for mutation and resistance marker testing to guide treatment selection.

The findings not only underscore the efficacy of 2 major interventions—Behavioral Activation Psychotherapy (BA) and Antidepressant Medication Management (MEDS)—but also support patient autonomy in choosing their preferred path to mental well-being.

This systematic review found COVID-19 disruptions on clinical outcomes in those with diabetes to be more pronounced for females, younger people, and those a part of racial and ethnic minority groups.

Inhaled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) medications prescribed before surgery in patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were associated with both short- and long-term outcomes.

Natasha Halasa, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses her role as principal investigator of the Vanderbilt site of the New Vaccine Surveillance Network.

CMS released the proposed 2025 Advance Notice for the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Programs; there have been 561 deaths related to the use of Philips’ recalled ventilators and machines for treating obstructive sleep apnea since 2021; the FDA warned the public against copycat eye drops due to infection risk.

Safety considerations for BTKi use in CLL and SLL treatment are highlighted.

Dr Haumschild drives a discussion surrounding the role of bruton kinase inhibitors for treating CLL and SLL.

Children and adolescents were at higher risk for myopic maculopathy progression if they had worse best-corrected visual acuity and longer axial length, among other risk factors.

An expert ophthalmologist discusses a medication which targets enzymes in the Demodex mite, given over a six-week course. 

Aducanumab’s accelerated approval was controversial and insurance coverage of the expensive therapy was limited.

Neda Shamie, MD, summarizes the prevalence and clinical manifestations of Demodex Blepharitis.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) will be the first focus of the Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Access Model; the FTC has challenged the validity of over 100 drug product patents to help increase competition and potentially lower prices; the rate of infectious syphilis cases in the US rose 9% in 2022.

However, the association between familial hypercholesterolemia variants and coronary heart disease slightly weakened after adjusting for baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level and became statistically insignificant after adjusting for cumulative past LDL-C exposure.

Most of the research suggests combination therapies might be the best option for many patients who have acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Elevated serum vitamin B12 concentration was positively associated with all-cause mortality risk, particularly among older adults, with concentrations exceeding 400 pmol/L showing significantly higher mortality rates.

Since 1987, only 57 cases of comorbid Parkinson disease (PD) and myasthenia gravis (MG) have been reported.

Among the 10 patients in the retrospective analysis, the median overall survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) was 21 months.

Patient survival and such treatment-related outcomes as time to treatment failure and treatment duration improved following implementation of a best practices program that focused on selinexor administration for multiple myeloma (MM), with implications for other anticancer medications.

The study may help explain why some patients are more prone to relapse following a complete response to induction therapy, as indicated by measurable residual disease (MRD) status and 2017 European LeukemiaNet (ELN) criteria.

Dr Fonesca provides his final thoughts recapping data and findings presented at ASH 2023.

Dr Fonesca highlights key factors in multiple myeloma treatment affecting patient quality of life.

A key opinion leader explores the integration of bispecifics into MM therapy regimens.