Clinical

A panelist discusses how HIV treatment has evolved with tremendous improvements in efficacy, tolerability, and convenience, with exciting developments at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections 2025, including new long-acting therapies for treatment and prevention that could last up to 2 years.

Gerard Criner, MD, FACP, FACCP, MATINEE investigator, highlights trial results that showed reduced exacerbations and delayed disease progression in patients with eosinophilic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Luspatercept showed real-world efficacy among patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), confirming results seen in clinical trials.

FDA approves mepolizumab (Nucala; GSK) as the first monthly biologic for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), significantly reducing exacerbations in patients with an eosinophilic phenotype.

Margrit Wiesendanger, MD, PhD, discusses how lupus treatment is evolving from traditional therapies to more targeted options like biologics, with promising advances now being explored in clinical trials.

Untreated Spinal Muscular Atrophy leads to severe complications and declines in quality of life, emphasizing the need for early intervention.

Early intervention in Spinal Muscular Atrophy is crucial for better outcomes, emphasizing the need for timely treatment to prevent irreversible disability.

Panelists discuss how stakeholders can prepare for the upcoming interchangeability designation of more biosimilars later this year, debating whether interchangeability status or formulary-level changes are more impactful and identifying necessary systemic shifts required to ensure both patients and health systems realize meaningful cost savings when transitioning from reference products to biosimilars.

Panelists discuss how major PBMs' (pharmacy benefit managers) decisions to prefer biosimilars over reference biologics provide valuable insights into successful adoption strategies, specifically examining CVS Caremark's removal of reference biologic adalimumab from national commercial template formularies, which resulted in 97% of prescriptions being filled with preferred biosimilars, and analyzing the key implementation factors driving this remarkable conversion rate.

The advent of novel cancer care therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy and bispecific antibodies is transforming the role of pharmacists in enhancing patient care.

Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery offers alternatives for patients looking for methods of treating glaucoma without affecting quality of life.

Panelists discuss how ideal candidates for bronchiectasis surgery have localized disease on CT scan and bronchoscopy, adequate pulmonary function (orced expiratory volume in 1 second > 40%), and whose infections are controlled prior to surgery.

Panelists discuss how reducing bronchiectasis exacerbations requires standardized definitions, tailored antibiotic approaches, and increased airway clearance, while addressing underlying conditions and ongoing research into optimal treatment protocols.

PARP inhibitors revolutionize ovarian cancer treatment, offering targeted therapy options and improved outcomes for patients with specific genetic markers.

Innovative antibody drug conjugates are advancing in ovarian cancer treatment, exploring new maintenance therapies and biomarker-driven approaches for improved outcomes.

Margrit Wiesendanger, MD, PhD, explores lupus symptoms, diagnosis challenges, and the importance of early detection to prevent inflammation-related damage.

Panelists discuss how immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy progression creates escalating economic burdens for patients through direct health care costs, lost productivity, increasing medication needs, and eventually the overwhelming financial impact of dialysis or transplantation.

Panelists discuss how ALK inhibitors compare in terms of tolerability and best practices for managing associated toxicities.

Panelists discuss how treatment success in immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy extends beyond clinical trial end points to encompass sustained proteinuria reduction, stable kidney function, symptom improvement, and enhanced quality of life metrics that matter to patients in real-world settings.

Panelists discuss how currently available ALK inhibitors compare in terms of efficacy, durability of response, and central nervous system (CNS) penetration for metastatic non–small cell lung cancer treatment.

Novel therapies for multiple myeloma (MM), including chimeric antigen receptor T-cell and bispecific antibodies, extend lives but raise concerns about treatment costs and adherence, and they haven't replaced stem cell transplantation, Harsh Parmar, MD, of Hackensack University Medical Center, explains.

The real-world data showed lower rates of atrial fibrillation and hypertension associated with the second-generation Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

A systematic review and subsequent expert review gave comprehensive insight into prognostic factors for patients receiving treatment for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Facility-level disparities in adopting minimally invasive interval debulking surgery for ovarian cancer highlight urgent needs for equitable care access.

The FDA approved retifanlimab (Zynyz; Incyte) as the first and only first-line treatment for advanced anal cancer, supported by data from the POD1UM-303/InterAACT2 and POD1UM-202 trials.

This study validates the Predicting Risk of CVD Events (PREVENT) score across diverse racial and ethnic populations, highlighting its effectiveness in predicting cardiovascular risk and mortality, regardless of race or ethnicity.

Late-breaking findings on pulmonology, critical care, and sleep medicine will be presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2025 International Conference.

A panelist discusses how CD4 counts serve as measures of immune system status that typically increase by about 200 in the first year of antiretroviral therapy. Although there can be laboratory variability, these counts remain important for patient monitoring and identifying those at risk for complications.

A panelist discusses how the injectable combination of cabotegravir and rilpivirine performed well in the real-world OPERA cohort, with over 95% of patients maintaining virologic suppression. However, adherence to injection schedules remains a challenge, with only 62% receiving injections on time.

Cardiac output and stroke volume as measured by impedance cardiography may hold potential to predict clinical deterioration from pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).