Antibiotic of Last Resort Gets Modified
Vancomycin, the antibiotic of last resort, is getting modified to be more effective at fighting a dangerous hospital infection. CNN reported that some infections have become resistant even to vancomycin, so researchers modified the drug to work on bacteria in 3 ways, making it harder for bacteria to develop resistance. The modified drug still has to complete clinical trials before it can be mass produced, so it likely won’t be available for years.
Patrick Soon-Shiong Named to HHS Committee
Patrick Soon-Shiong will advise the Trump administration on health information technology (IT) as a new member of an HHS committee. House Speaker Paul Ryan named Soon-Shiong, a billionaire scientist, to the 25-member Health IT Advisory Committee that was authorized by the 21st Century Cures Act. According to Politico, there are questions about his conflicts of interest and how the expenditures of his nonprofit research organization have been spent.
Stem Cell Therapies in Texas
Texas could become the first state to recognize stem cell therapies, an experimental treatment for patients with chronic conditions or terminal illnesses. While clinics across the country have been offering the treatments for years, no state has legally validated them, according to STAT. The Texas measure would require the stem cell therapies be administered by a doctor at a hospital or ambulatory medical center. In addition, the treatment would have to be approved by an institutional review board and patients could sue if the treatment goes awry.
Males With Hemophilia A Report Physical, Mental Burdens of Disease Regardless of Severity
April 25th 2024Self-reported data from adult and pediatric males with hemophilia A show that burden of the disease persists regardless of severity, highlighting a need for improved prophylactic treatment.
Read More
Lack of Mutations Associated With Favorable Prognosis in MPN-U
April 25th 2024While the Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System and bone marrow blasts may predict overall survival, the lack of certain mutations is also associated with a better prognosis for myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable (MPN-U).
Read More
What We’re Reading: FDA Approves UTI Antibiotic; Ozempic, Wegovy Price Investigation; US Births Fall
April 25th 2024The FDA recently approved an antibiotic for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women; a Senate committee recently launched an investigation into the prices of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes and weight loss drugs; US births fell last year, resuming a national slide after a previous increase during the pandemic.
Read More