The FDA has announced the full approval of Lecanemab (Leqembi) as the first Alzheimer’s treatment that specifically targets the disease process. Teresa Buracchio, MD, acting director of the Office of Neuroscience in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, describes this development as a significant milestone in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The approval
Health
Observational data has demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids, particularly alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), in plasma levels can be linked to slower disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. According to Kjetil Bjornevik, MD, PhD, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, ALS patients with high levels of ALA had a 50%
According to the phase III MAESTRO-NASH trial, the investigational agent resmetirom has demonstrated positive results in treating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The study found that the drug resolved liver biopsy findings in NASH more often than the placebo. While only 10% of the placebo patients achieved resolution of inflammation, ballooning, and disease activity, the rate was
A new large cohort study has shown that a third of intraocular lens (IOL) implants for nontraumatic glaucoma in children required reoperation for visual axis opacification (VAO) within 5 years, most often in eyes that did not have anterior vitrectomy. The study highlights the need for long-term monitoring of children with primary IOL implantation. Study
A clinical trial conducted at the Cleveland Clinic Center in Ohio has shown that not fixating the mesh in open retromuscular ventral hernia repair (RVHR) is noninferior to fixation. The study, which was conducted on 325 patients, found that hernia recurrence rates at 1 year were similar between the transfascial suture fixation group and the
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has sent a letter to the US News & World Report, requesting information on the magazine’s hospital rankings. The letter also called for the publication to “publicly disclose the payments it receives from the hospitals it endorses, as required by federal regulations.” The move comes at a time when
A large retrospective cohort study has found that different molecular subtypes of breast cancer have varying rates and patterns of recurrence following surgery for early-stage disease. The study analyzed the data of 16,462 women who had undergone surgery for breast cancer at the Seoul National University College of Medicine from 2000 to 2018. The study
The optimal induction systemic regimen for patients with initially unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases is yet to be established. Published data in this patient population are difficult to interpret due to absent or varying criteria for resectability or unresectability, scarcity of long-term follow-up of patients who received local treatment, and heterogeneity in study populations, trial
According to a secondary analysis of the ASPREE trial, daily low-dose aspirin increased the incidence of anemia in older adults who were otherwise healthy. Over a median of 4.7 years, the incidence of anemia was found to be higher in the aspirin group compared to the placebo group. The study was carried out by Zoe
In his final speech as American Medical Association (AMA) president, Jack Resneck Jr., MD, delivered a message of hope, progress, and unity while acknowledging the “very real” threats to the medical profession. Resneck expressed concerns about the country’s divisiveness and the future of the profession, citing a survey that found only 57% of doctors would