Interviews

Mary Pat Gallagher, MD, of NYU Langone Health, explains her research documenting new onset diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

David McIntyre, MD, FRACP, gives an overview of his talk "Diagnosis and Management of Diabetes in Pregnancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic," to be presented at the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) 81st Scientific Sessions.

Ivo Abraham, PhD, RN, a professor with the University of Arizona Health Sciences in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, talks about the role that the pandemic has played in the struggle between biosimilar pegfilgrastims and the on-body injector version of the reference product.

Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, the chief science and medical officer at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) offers insights on trial results and sessions to be presented at this year's ADA Scientific Sessions, taking place virtually June 25-29, 2021.

Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, the chief science and medical officer at the American Diabetes Association (ADA), previews sessions to be presented at the ADA's 81st Scientific Sessions.

Michael D. Anestis, PhD, executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, discusses his research on firearm ownership and suicide, in addition to steps needed to help decrease rates of gun-inflicted suicide and gun violence in general.

Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD, MS, discusses the need for concrete changes addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) and respiratory health.

Ivo Abraham, PhD, RN, a professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at University of Arizona Health Sciences, talks about the results from his cost-efficiency studies and how Amgen’s Onpro pegfilgrastim device has affected cancer care and costs.

Michael Thorpy, MD, director, Sleep-Wake Disorders Center, Montefiore Medical Center, and professor of neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, speaks on the efficacy of solriamfetol observed in patients with excessive daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy, and which patient groups may best benefit from this therapy.

Anne Marie Morse, DO, pediatric neurologist and sleep medicine specialist, Geisinger, discusses factors contributing to insufficient screening of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with stroke and how a team-based approach fared in expediting diagnosis.

Ibrutinib is currently a standard of care in relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, but zanubrutinib is an effective second-line and second-generation option, said Peter Hillmen, PhD, MB ChB, professor at the University of Leeds.

Rajasi Mills, MS, vice president, SleepIQ Health, Sleep Number, speaks on the practical use of Sleep Number 360 smart beds in measuring sleep metrics and leveraging data to identify symptoms characteristic of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

OTC cough medicines may have some temporary benefit, but they don't penetrate the nerves in the airways, which are believed to be the mechanism behind refractory chronic cough, says Jacky Smith, MB, ChB, FRCP, PhD, professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Manchester and an honorary consultant at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

Behavioral cough suppression therapy can be used to help patients with chronic cough manage their cough, prevent a cough, and even trigger their cough less often, explained Laurie Slovarp, PhD, CCC-SLP, associate professor in the School of Speech, Language, Hearing, and Occupational Sciences at University of Montana.

Isabelle Arnulf, MD, PhD, senior neurologist, and professor, Neurology, Sorbonne Universités, Pierre and Marie Curie University, discusses findings of significant improvement observed in patients with idiopathic hypersomnia undergoing lower-sodium oxybate treatment.

Katharine Simon, PhD, clinical pediatric psychologist, and postdoctoral researcher, Sleep and Cognition Lab, UC Irvine, explains the influence of the autonomic nervous system on body functions and recommendations for patients experiencing autonomic imbalance and sleep dysregulation.

Ivo Abraham, PhD, RN, a professor with the University of Arizona Health Sciences in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, discusses the current state of the granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) sector of the biosimilar market.

Shalini Paruthi, MD, medical codirector, St. Luke’s Hospital, Sleep Medicine and Research Center, and cochair of SLEEP 2021, highlights discussion topics that will address best practices for evaluating, diagnosing, and treating common sleep disorders.

The placebo effect is a major problem in cough trials and can make it impossible to tell the true pharmacological effect of the medicine being studied, said Ron Eccles, BSc, PhD, DSc, emeritus professor at Cardiff University.

The P2X3 antagonists are the furthest along in the drug development process, but there are other potential drugs being evaluated to treat chronic cough, which currently has no FDA-approved therapies on the market, said Peter Dicpinigaitis, MD, chair of the American Cough Conference.

Desensitizing the cough reflex and new technologies based on artificial intelligence are some of the oral abstracts that Jacky Smith, MB, ChB, FRCP, PhD, professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Manchester and an honorary consultant at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, who chairs that session, is looking forward to at the American Cough Conference.

Michael Thorpy, MD, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center, Montefiore, and professor of neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses aspects of the Idiopathic Hypersomnia Severity Scale, and how it fared in measuring symptoms of idiopathic hypersomnia compared with traditional scales.

The phase 2 ZUMA-3 trial of brexucabtagene autoleucel showed that it is possible to intervene early to prevent some toxicity, said Bijal Shah, MD, associate member in the Department of Malignant Hematology at Moffitt Cancer Center.

The interim results on the first 415 patients randomized in the phase 3 ALPINE study showed a significantly better response for zanubrutinib compared with ibrutinib in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic leukemia, said Peter Hillmen, PhD, MB ChB, professor at the University of Leeds.

Chronic cough makes it difficult to be in public, whether socially or professionally, explained Paulette Nyahay, a patient with chronic cough. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, having a coughing spasm in public has been difficult.

Larry D. Anderson Jr, MD, PhD, associate professor, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses updated findings of the phase II KarMMa trial assessing ide-cel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma after 4 or more prior lines of therapy.

Rebecca Spencer, PhD, professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and co-chair of SLEEP 2021, highlights takeaways from this year’s meeting and discussions she’s looking forward to.

Michael Thompson, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, discussed findings of his organization’s Pulse of the Purchaser survey that signaled a return to a stabilized business environment.