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Efficacy of the investigational drug lebrikizumab is maintained in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis for at least 1 year, according to new results from the phase 3 ADvocate1 and ADvocate2 trials. “We’re focused on the responders,” said Andrew Blauvelt, MD, MBA, as he presented the positive findings at the European Academy of Dermatology

CHICAGO — Bumping up the dose of aflibercept (Eylea) led to prolonged treatment intervals for neovascular eye disease without a loss in efficacy or major increase in adverse events, two randomized trials showed. Dosing the VEGF inhibitor at 8 mg every 12 or 16 weeks achieved non-inferiority to treatment with 2 mg every 8 weeks

Nursing home residents could largely benefit from the second COVID-19 vaccine booster, according to a new study published this week.  The study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Friday indicated that the second mRNA COVID-19 booster shots were effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths among nursing home residents. 

The Medicare and Medicaid programs spent more than $18 billion over 3 years on medications for which there was no proof of a significant clinical benefit, a new federal report shows. On Tuesday, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Health and Human Services released an initial take on its ongoing

This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Scientists are closely watching new Omicron subvariants that can evade immunity better than previous strains. The new subvariants have the potential to drive future waves but protection

Device maker LivaNova (TandemLife) has recalled the LifeSPARC controller, part of the LifeSPARC system, because of a software malfunction that may cause the controller’s monitoring feature to wrongly enter critical failure mode, causing the pump to stop working. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has labeled this a Class I recall, the most serious

Be alert for potentially severe manifestations of monkeypox in patients who are immunocompromised or co-infected with HIV, the CDC told healthcare workers on Thursday. “People who are immunocompromised due to HIV or other conditions are at higher risk for severe manifestations of monkeypox than people who are immunocompetent,” the agency said in a health advisory

Scientists fear what could come next once monkeypox spreads in wild animals, and here’s why you should be worried too.  After the first cast of human-to-dog transmission was reported in August, many got anxious on how this could become more common as the outbreak continues.  But the problem was not only about the human-to-dog transmission.

Shortening the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and continuing with a P2Y12 inhibitor alone after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was associated with a similar rate of ischemic events but with less bleeding than prolonged DAPT after 3 years of follow-up in the SMART-CHOICE trial. “The current results of extended follow-up from the SMART-CHOICE trial

A pharmaceutical company that increased the price of a live-saving medication is charging too much and must lower it, says Canada’s drug price agency. In a rare decision this week, the Patented Medicines Prices Review Board (PMPRB) said the price of Horizon Pharma’s Procysbi ”was and is excessive.” Procysbi contains the same active ingredient, cysteamine bitartrate, as Cystagon, which was brought to

Men who have sex with men have an increased prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, according to a new report. In particular, those with high-risk sexual activity, such as engaging in unprotected sex or having multiple sexual partners, were more likely to have IBD diagnoses than men who

Note that some links may require subscriptions. Is insomnia solvable? Experts say yes. (New Scientist) Patients at several healthcare facilities in Florida were evacuated following electricity outages, building damage, and lack of potable water. (AP) Oregon plans to cover health-related climate change expenses for certain low-income patients as part of its Medicaid program, the first

ndonesia said it has granted emergency use approval to an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by a Chinese company, becoming the first country, ahead of even China, to do so. Indonesia’s food and drugs agency (BPOM) greenlighted the use of Walvax Biotechnology’s mRNA vaccine, which has been in development for more than two years and targets

Unvaccinated people were 14 times more likely to get infected with the monkeypox virus compared with those who had one dose of the monkeypox vaccine, according to data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These findings, compiled from monkeypox case data in 32 states from July 31– September 3,

This story idea came from audience members, like you, who got in touch with us. Send us all of your questions about COVID-19. We are listening: ask@cbc.ca. Appointments to get the new bivalent booster shots have opened up across provinces in Canada for all adults.  The vaccine was initially available for provinces’ more vulnerable populations at

A young man is paralyzed from polio in New York. Yet all around him many others are carrying the polio virus in their gut but have no symptoms. What makes them different? The famous Typhoid Mary was asymptomatic, although she carried Salmonella typhi in her gut for decades. She transmitted the bacteria to more than

Note that some links may require subscriptions. Mild or moderate consumption of most types of coffee (even instant!) may be protective against cardiovascular disease and early death. (European Journal of Preventive Cardiology) Queen Elizabeth II died of “old age,” according to her death certificate. (BBC News) If COVID and monkeypox have taught us anything, it’s

Bed bugs may not only be unwanted visitors in our homes and beds but also creatures harboring a hidden risk. A team of researchers has found that they may actually be producing amounts of histamine that may potentially be problematic for humans. Bed bugs are tiny, parasitic insects that can be found all over the world. At

People increased risk for syphilis — including asymptomatic, nonpregnant adolescents and adults who have ever been sexually active and are at high risk for the disease — should be screened for it, according to a reaffirmation by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) of its 2016 recommendation of syphilis screening for people at

An immunocompromised man in Thunder Bay, Ont., who feared the consequences of relaxed public health measures died last month after testing positive for COVID-19. Joe Lunn, a heart transplant recipient, told CBC News in March that he was worried about the Ontario government’s decision to do away with vaccine certificates in public places. He had also

Prompt diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is essential to reduce mortality, and improving education of primary care providers can help, suggests a new white paper. The nonspecific nature of the symptoms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) especially in early stages, and the relative rarity of IPF compared with other conditions that have similar symptoms, may

Note that some links may require subscriptions. Investigational lecanemab showed a small but significant reduction in cognitive decline in early Alzheimer’s disease in a phase III trial, drug developers Eisai and Biogen said. Vaccine-related aluminum exposure may be linked with asthma in kids, a preliminary finding that needs further investigation. (Academic Pediatrics) Florida hospitals cancelled