New Insight with Dr. Veeral Sheth

Diabetes Dialogue

Don’t Miss a Beat

Crisis Point

Abigail Brooks is an assistant editor for 

She joined MJH Life Sciences in August 2023 shortly after graduating from Monmouth University where she earned her BA in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations/Journalism and later an MA in Interactive Digital Media. She enjoys traveling, running, and reading books. She can be reached at abrooks@mjhlifesciences.com.

Calliditas Therapeutics has announced positive topline results from the global open-label extension of the phase 3 NefIgArd study of budesonide (Nefecon) in adult patients with primary 

 on optimized renin-angiotensin system inhibitor (RASi) therapy.

According to the April 24, 2024, release, open-label extension findings showed a treatment response consistent with the NefIgArd study across urine protein to creatinine ratio (UPCR) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) endpoints, regardless of whether participants had previously been treated with Nefecon or placebo.

“It is exciting to see these results on both proteinuria reduction and eGFR stabilization at 9 months across all patients irrespective of previous treatment regimen in the Phase 3 trial,” Renée Aguiar-Lucander, CEO of Calliditas Therapeutics, said in a press release.

 “These topline results support the study thesis that the response to retreatment with Nefecon was unaffected by previous treatment cycles. We look forward to presenting data at the upcoming ERA EDTA symposium.”

A global, phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, NefIgArd was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of budesonide 16 mg once daily versus placebo in adult patients with primary IgAN in addition to optimized RASi therapy. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive 16 mg/day of budesonide or matching placebo for 9 months, followed by a 15-month observational follow-up period without the study drug.

Designed to act at the gut mucosal level, the oral, targeted-release formulation of budesonide was granted accelerated approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for proteinuria reduction in adults with primary IgAN at risk of rapid disease progression on December 17, 2021. Calliditas Therapeutics AB submitted a supplemental New Drug Application to the FDA on June 21, 2023, which was accepted and granted Priority Review based on the full data set from NefIgArd.

The NefIgArd study achieved both its primary and key secondary endpoints and was the basis for full approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 20, 2023, when budesonide delayed-release capsules became the first treatment to receive approval from the FDA for reducing the loss of kidney function in adults with primary IgAN.

The open-label extension study was designed to provide 9 months of treatment with budesonide for all patients who completed the NefIgArd study and who had > 1 g/g of proteinuria over 24 hours and > 30 ml/min of eGFR. A total of 119 patients were enrolled in the open-label extension and continued on optimized RASi therapy. Participants were treated for 9 months with budesonide 16 mg per day, including 45 patients who had previously had active treatment, and completed a follow-up visit 3 months after completion of treatment.

Topline data from the open-label extension study showed the treatment response was consistent with findings from the NefIgArd study for the endpoints of UPCR and eGFR at 9 months across all patients, irrespective of whether they had previously been treated with budesonide or with placebo. Additionally, safety data after 9 months of treatment or retreatment with budesonide in patients who completed the NefIgArd study were consistent with previously reported data.

Calliditas Therapeutics. Calliditas Announces Positive NefIgArd Open Label Extension Results. April 24, 2024. Accessed April 24, 2024. 

https://www.calliditas.se/en/calliditas-announces-positive-nefigard-open-label-extension-results/

Brooks, A. FDA Awards Full Approval to Budesonide (Tarpeyo) in Treatment of IgA Nephropathy. HCPLive. December 20, 2023. Accessed April 24, 2024. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/fda-awards-full-approval-to-budesonide-tarpeyo-in-treatment-of-iga-nephropathy

Articles

Positive topline results showed treatment response consistent with NefIgArd findings, regardless of whether participants had previously been treated with Nefecon or placebo.

News

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Nephrology

The HCPLive nephrology page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on kidney disease. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments in nephrology, and more.

IgA Nephropathy

The HCPLive Berger disease page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on IgA nephropathy. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments in Berger disease, and more.

Calliditas Announces Open Label Extension Results for Budesonide (Nefecon) in IgA Nephropathy

Tim Smith joined the MJH Life Sciences team as an assistant editor for HCPLive in August 2022. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in political science, working in multimedia journalism as a staff writer prior to joining MJH. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, watching TV, listening to podcasts, and rock climbing. You can contact him at 

Chun discussed recommendations for internal medicine physicians to give older adults for slowing aging as well as evidence for statins.

Audrey Chun, MD: Practical Recommendations to Give Older Patients for Exercise, Cognitive Health

American College of Physicians (ACP) Internal Medicine Meeting

 team spoke with Audrey Chun, MD, on the takeaways from her portion of the talk at ACP titled ‘Multiple Small Feedings of the Mind: Addiction Medicine, Geriatrics, Endocrinology.’

Chun, a professor and vice chair of outpatient clinical services at the division of geriatrics and Palliative Medicine in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, spoke first on the topic of slowing the aging process through exercise and recommendations for internal medicine physicians to provide patients.

“This is a common question that our patients are asking us: ‘What can I do to stay healthy to age well to age successfully?’” she explained. “Really, there's not a simple answer to that…The number one intervention is not medication, it's not a special diet, it's exercise. And it's not always what people want to hear. But we know that regular exercise and regular physical activity absolutely affects the way that we age, and can prevent a lot of the things that happen more commonly with older age. Namely, preventing your risk of falls, preventing frailty and especially preventing cognitive decline or even dementia.”

Chun noted that regular physical activity helps cognitive decline more than socialization, though being around others in a social setting can be helpful.

“Interestingly, all forms of exercise have benefits in different areas,” Chun said. “So flexibility and balance might decrease your risk of falls. But if you're really worried about your cognition, and you're concerned about wanting to optimize your cognitive health, then it seems that regular strength exercises or resistance exercises, as well as aerobic exercises seems to be the most beneficial for your brain health.”

Chun was also asked about evidence for using statins for primary prevention, both continuing and starting new, in patients older than 80 years.

“These are for people who have no evidence of heart disease in the past, have never had a stroke, don't have diabetes, and the idea of starting cholesterol lowering medication in order to prevent those things from happening,” Chun said. “So that's what we're talking about with primary prevention, and we have a lot of evidence of benefit in younger adults, those younger than the age of 75. It's kind of a no-brainer, everyone who has high cholesterol should be on some sort of cholesterol lowering agent in order to decrease their risk of developing some of these conditions.”

Chun added, however, that over the age of 75, the data is less conclusive. She noted that either it does not exist, because researchers never included older adults in the trials, or the results were balanced by some side effects related to the medications, such as muscle pain or weakness or interactions with other medications.

For additional information on these topics, view the full interview segment posted above. Check out more of 

The quotes contained in this summary were edited for clarity. Chun has no relationships with entities whose primary business is marketing, producing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Videos

In this interview, Chun discussed recommendations for internal medicine physicians to give older adults for slowing aging as well as evidence for statins.

Internal Medicine

Internal Medicine condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into internal medicine can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on internal medicine research, treatment, and drug development.

Geriatrics

Geriatric medicine condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on frequent geriatric-related diseases and conditions. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for sleep disorder, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and more.

Conference

 conference coverage page features articles, videos, and expert-led live coverage from major medical meetings throughout the year.

Balmes discusses the latest annual State of the Air Report, which shows that 131 million Americans are living in areas with failing air quality grades.

2024 State of the Air: Record Highs in US Particle Pollution, with Dr. John Balmes

 What caused the particle pollution spike?


 The health effects of fine particle pollution exposure


 The new EPA particle pollution standard


 Improvements to ozone pollution and the Clean Air Act


 Reflecting on 25 years, and looking ahead


Four in every 10 Americans are now living in an area with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to a new report that which additionally observed the most severe jump in deadly particle pollution exposure in the last quarter-century.

The 2024 State of the Air—an annual report from the American Lung Association (ALA) that which grades 3-year exposures to smog and air particle pollution—marks the 25th consecutive report from the organization. This latest iteration makes history in showing that approximately 131 million Americans are living in area that which received a failing grade for ≥1 measure of air pollution.

In contextualizing the findings, the ALA acknowledged 3 key factors of influence on this year’s report. The first is that the 2024 State of the Air reports on air quality from 2020 – 2022—recognized primarily as the COVID-19 pandemic era.

“While many people speculated that the changes in behaviors during the pandemic, such as working from home, would result in improved air quality, this report shows that poor air quality continued to impact millions of people during those years,” the ALA wrote in a statement. “Notably, freight and goods movement on heavy-duty trucks, by rail and at ports increased significantly in some regions, adding to increased pollution burdens.”

—many regions have been burdened by the growing threat of wildfires during this time as well.

Lastly, the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) had finalized new regulations designed to target pollution concerns through measures including limits on tailpipe emissions from newly manufactured cars, as well as a stricter standard for particle pollution exposure, in February this year.

“Now, the Lung Association is urging EPA to set long overdue stronger national limits on ozone pollution,” the ALA wrote. “Stronger limits would help people protect themselves and drive cleanup of polluting sources across the country.”

Additionally, the report showed a continued disparity in pollution exposure-related health outcomes among people of color, who are more than twice more likely to live in an area that has a failing grade on all 3 measures of pollution.

 This same population is additionally more susceptible to asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular disease—each chronic condition being associated with worsened outcomes due to air pollution.

The State of the Air report observed the highest rate of persons in counties with unhealthy spikes in short-term particle pollution since 2010: 65 million people.

“In the three years covered by this report, individuals in the U.S. experienced the highest number of days when particle pollution reached ‘very unhealthy’ and ‘hazardous’ levels in the 25 years of reporting the State of the Air,” an ALA statement read. “Short term particle pollution spikes are a clear example of the impacts that climate change is having on health. Changing weather patterns are driving more frequent and severe wildfires, which are delivering dangerous levels of particle pollution to more communities.”

This year’s report also set a record for people living in counties where year-round particle pollution levels are worse than the new standard for national air quality: 90.7 million people in 119 counties. That total increased nearly 5-fold from last year’s report.

Each of Bakersfield, CA; Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA; Visalia, CA; and Eugene-Springfield, OR, appeared on the lists for top 5 most polluted cities based on short-term and year-round particle pollution.

Perhaps in the lone instance of good news from the 25th State of the Air report is the continued improvement in national ozone pollution. The ALA reported 2.4 million fewer people lived in areas with unhealthy ozone pollution compared to the 2023 report. Though 3 in 10 Americans still live in an area with unhealthy ozone pollution, the organization has seen a “dramatic improvement in ozone pollution” over the last quarter century: approximately three-fourths of all Americans were living in a county with unhealthy ozone pollution rates in 2000.

Additionally, the report cited 5 US cities considered the “cleanest” on the measures of short-term and year-round particle, as well as ozone pollution: Bangor, ME; Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA; Lincoln-Beatrice, NE; Urban Honolulu, HI; Wilmington, NC.

, ALA chief medical officer Albert Rizzo, MD, discussed the headline findings of the 2024 State of the Air Report with John Balmes, MD, professor of medicine emeritus at the University of California San Francisco, and professor of environmental health sciences emeritus in the School of Public Health at the University of California Berkeley.

Along with discussing the overarching findings of this year’s report, Rizzo and Balmes reviewed the new EPA standards for particle pollution and the positive effect of longer-standing regulations set by the Clean Air Act—which can be contributed to the continued progress in ozone pollution reduction.

Balmes also shares advice on how individuals and organizations alike can become more active participants and advocates in the effort to improve environmental health. He and Rizzo then discuss the new report’s highlight of air quality inequity in the US and the factors that which influence it, before signing off reflecting on the last quarter-century of change in US air quality-related health.

Click here to read the full 2024 State of the Air Report from the ALA.

Lungcast is a monthly respiratory news podcast series hosted by Al Rizzo, MD, chief medical officer of the ALA, and produced by HCPLive.

American Lung Association. State of the Air 2024 Report. Published April 24, 2024. https://www.lung.org/getmedia/dabac59e-963b-4e9b-bf0f-73615b07bfd8/State-of-the-Air-2024.pdf

American Lung Association. 2024 ‘State of the Air’ Report Reveals Most ‘Hazardous’ Air Quality Days in 25 Years. Press release. Published April 24, 2024. https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/sota-2024

Kunzmann K. Poor Air Quality Across the US: What You Need to Know. 

. Published June 8, 2023. https://www.hcplive.com/view/poor-air-quality-across-the-us-what-you-need-to-know

Podcasts

Pulmonology

Infectious Disease condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on respiratory health. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease, COVID-19, and more.

Asthma

The HCPLive asthma page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on asthmatic disease. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for allergic and severe asthma, and more.

COPD

COPD condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on COPD research, treatment, and drug development.

Cardiology

Cardiology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for heart disease and cardiovascular events, as well as associated diabetes, renal failure, and more...

Lungcast

Join the American Lung Association and HCPLive every month as Dr. Al Rizzo interviews world-leading experts on the great challenges, accomplishments, and stories in respiratory medicine.

2024 State of the Air: Record Highs in US Particle Pollution, with John Balmes, MD

Phase 3 Data on Brilaroxazine for Schizophrenia with Larry Ereshefsky, PharmD

New phase 3 data found brilaroxazine at 50 mg and 15 mg significantly reduced symptoms of acute schizophrenia.

Investigators already conducted a phase 1 study with healthy volunteers and stable schizophrenia patients. A phase 2 study assessed the efficacy and safety of brilaroxazine in acute schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

More recently, the team, led by Laxminarayan Bhat, from Reviva Pharmaceuticals, conducted the pivotal phase 3 RECOVER trial to assess safety and efficacy. RECOVER was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study evaluating brilaroxazine in acute schizophrenia patients for 28 days. The primary endpoint being the PANSS score vs placebo from baseline to day 28, and the secondary endpoints were the positive and negative symptoms, PANSS social cognition, excitement/agitation, personal and social performance, clinical global impression severity, safety, and emergent adverse events.

Participants were considered to have acute schizophrenia if they had a Mean Baseline Positive and Negative Assessment (PANSS) score of 98.22). They were randomized to either receive 15 mg (n = 140), 50 mg (n = 134), or placebo (n = 137).

Investigators saw brilaroxazine 50 mg achieved a 10.1-point reduction compared to placebo (-23.9 vs -13.8;

 < .001). They also saw significant reductions in positive (P < .001), negative (P = .003), negative marder symptoms (P = .002), PANSS social cognition (P < .001), excitement/agitation (P < .001), PSP (P < .001), and CGI-S (P < .001). Furthermore, brilaroxazine 15 mg was superior to placebo for all endpoints and significant for social cognition (P = .024) and PSP (P = .022).

Brilaroxazine is serotonin-dopamine signaling targeting D2/3/4 and 5-HT1A/2A receptors as a partial agonist and 5-HT2B/7 receptors as an antagonist. The drug helps control inflammatory cytokines which can be a disease driver.

“I'm an advocate for ways to treat the brain other than receptor blockade, and the area of neuroinflammation and damage done by inflammatory stress processes is really gaining support for Parkinson's, depression, Alzheimer's, and serotonin seems to modulate the anti-inflammatory processes in the brain,” said Larry Ereshefsky, PharmD, the owner and chief scientific officer at CenExcel Research, in an interview with 

“So, this is another gear, possibly, for this drug [that] now needs confirmation.”

the next step for the research is testing out the 30 mg dose of brilaroxazine for acute schizophrenia since the US Food and Drug Administration likes to know the minimum effective dose.

“It's likely 15 [mg] works in stable patients quite well, less ill patients, it could well be a maintenance dose that's being shown to be effective right now,” Ereshefsky said. “But for acute psychosis, where you're trying to control someone who's a danger to themselves or others, you need a drug with a higher dose that's been shown elsewhere.”

Bhat, L, Bhat, S, Ramakrishnan, A. Brilaroxazine Efficacy and Safety in the Phase 3 RECOVER Trial in Acute Schizophrenia. ASCPT Annual Conference in Colorado Springs, USA on March 27 – 29, 2024.

Reviva to Present RECOVER Phase 3 Clinical Trial Data for Brilaroxazine in Schizophrenia at the SIRS 2024 Annual Meeting. March 28, 2024. 

https://revivapharma.com/reviva-to-present-recover-phase-3-clinical-trial-data-for-brilaroxazine-in-schizophrenia-at-the-sirs-2024-annual-meeting/

In an interview with HCPLive, Larry Ereshefsky, PharmD discussed the phase 3 RECOVER trial assessing brilaroxazine at 50 mg and 15 mg for acute schziophrenia.

Psychiatry

Psychiatry condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on mental illnesses. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and more.

Schizophrenia

The HCPLive schizophrenia page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on the mental disorder. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for schizophrenia, and more.

  Phase 3 Data on Brilaroxazine for Schizophrenia with Larry Ereshefsky, PharmD

Patrick Campbell is the managing editor of HCPLive. Formerly the editorial lead of Endocrinology Network, Practical Cardiology, and Rheumatology Network, Patrick has spent years spearheading coverage surrounding cardiometabolic health and rheumatic disease for MJH Life Sciences. He now helps to lead coverage in each of these respective areas for HCPLive. Before joining MJH Life Sciences in 2019, he spent time as a beat reporter with the Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, PA, and Star News Group in Manasquan, NJ. He also touts experience in multimedia, having spent time as a multimedia specialist with NJ Advance Media and multimedia coordinator at the Pocono Record. Follow him on Twitter @RealPatCampbell or reach him via email at PCampbell@mjhlifesciences.com.

Chris Bunick, MD, PhD
Credit: Yale School of Medicine

An analysis of structural basis for p19 targeting by IL-23 inhibitors is providing clinicians with new insight that study investigators suggest could help guide treatment decisions with biologics in 

Performed by Christopher Bunick, MD, and colleagues, the study examined the structural composition of the IL-23 binding epitopes of risankizumab, tildrakizumab, ustekinumab, and guselkumab and assessed their relationship with short- and long-term efficacy observed in previous data.

“Computational structural analysis of IL-23 inhibitor epitopes revealed important molecular differences among p19-specific psoriasis biologics that have direct relevance to patient outcomes,” wrote investigators. “Strong correlations between inhibitor epitope SA, binding affinity, dissociation kinetics, and PASI-90 response rates exemplify how biochemical and molecular data are critical for explaining clinical observations. Furthermore, structure–function–clinical response relationships can inform future pharmacologic innovation”

Analysis of IL-23 binding mechanisms revealed risankizumab, tildrakizumab, and guselkumab epitopes exist exclusively on p19, whereas ustekinumab binds exclusively on p40. Results also revealed risankizumab has the largest epitope surface area (SA), followed by guselkumab, whereas ustekinumab and tildrakizumab binded a significantly smaller epitope SA.

Analysis of correlations between epitope SA and binding affinity and kinetics suggested a greater epitope SA was associated with more stable immune complexes with IL-23. Specifically, results of a linear regression analysis provided evidence of a correlation between epitope SA and an inhibitor's dissociation equilibrium constant (R2 = 0.9772, 

 = .0115), with further analysis suggesting individual epitope SA was also inversely correlated with an inhibitor's dissociation rate constant (R2 = 0.9489, 

 = .0259) but this was not observed between epitope SA and association rate constant (R2 = 0.4330, 

When assessing correlation of IL-23 epitope molecular properties with short-term clinical efficacy, investigators found the efficacy of IL-23–targeting biologics, assessed by PASI-90 response within 10–16 weeks, correlates directly with epitope SA and inversely with mean inhibitor epitope equilibrium dissociation constant (K

), but not with association rate constant (k

). Additionally, total residue hydrophobicity, polarity, and charge composition demonstrated no correlation with short-term PASI-90 clinical response, with the mean PASI-90 responses across tildrakizumab, guselkumab, ustekinumab, and risankizumab ranging from 38.8%, with tildrakizumab, to 71.6%, with risankizumab.

Analysis of long-term efficacy of IL-23–targeting biologics, which was assessed by PASI-90 response over 44 to 60 weeks, suggested efficacy directly correlates with epitope surface area size and inversely with mean inhibitor epitope equilibrium dissociation constant (K

), while mean inhibitor association rate constant (k

) shows no correlation with long-term PASI-90 response rate. Investigators also pointed out total residue hydrophobicity, polarity, and charge composition demonstrate no correlation with long-term PASI-90 clinical response. Across guselkumab, ustekinumab, and risankizumab, mean long-term PASI-90 responses ranged from 52.4%, with ustekinumab, to 79.4%, with risankizumab.

Of note, for both the short- and long-term efficacy analyses, investigators pooled PSI-90 responses from a 2020 meta-analysis and mean K

 values are derived from a study published in 2021.

Investigators called attention to a multitude of limitations to consider when interpreting the findings of this study. These limitations included, but were not limited to, lack of detailed biologic–cytokine structures for the medications presented in this paper, reliance on biochemical, noncrystallographic data acquired from hydrogen–deuterium exchange experiments, and absence of long-term clinical response data for all agents included in the study.

“Our work deepens the molecular understanding of IL-23 inhibitors by characterizing and differentiating the chemistry and structure of their binding epitopes. In doing so, we provide the molecular rationale underpinning not only preclinical findings but also the short- and long-term clinical efficacy of these medications in the treatment of plaque psoriasis,” wrote investigators.

Daniele SG, Eldirany SA, Damiani G, Ho M, Bunick CG. Structural Basis for p19 Targeting by Anti-IL-23 Biologics: Correlations with Short- and Long-Term Efficacy in Psoriasis. 

. 2024;4(2):100261. Published 2024 Jan 20. doi:10.1016/j.xjidi.2024.100261

Armstrong AW, Puig L, Joshi A, et al. Comparison of Biologics and Oral Treatments for Plaque Psoriasis: A Meta-analysis. 

. 2020;156(3):258-269. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2019.4029

Zhou L, Wang Y, Wan Q, et al. A non-clinical comparative study of IL-23 antibodies in psoriasis. 

. 2021;13(1):1964420. doi:10.1080/19420862.2021.1964420

Plaque Psoriasis

The HCPLive plaque psoriasis page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on psoriasis. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for psoriatic disease, and more.

Study Details Epitope Binding, Efficacy of IL-23 Inhibitors in Plaque Psoriasis

Solomon explains how the health care system contributes to climate change and the direct health impacts seen as a result, based on her session at ACP.

Caren Solomon, MD, MPH: Health Impacts of Climate Change, Health Care’s Contribution

Lana Pine is the editor of HCPLive Rheumatology. She is an experienced editor and technical writer with a demonstrated history of working in the banking and publishing industries. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, yoga, listening to podcasts, and drawing. She can be reached via email at LPine@mjhlifesciences.com.

Treatment with risankizumab was shown to be an effective strategy among patients with PsA regardless of varying demographic and psoriatic disease characteristics through 1 year. 

Psoriatic Arthritis

On the HCPLive psoriatic arthritis page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into PsA can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on arthritis, and more.

Long-term Risankizumab Treatment Outperforms Placebo in PsA 

Connor Iapoce is an associate editor for 

 and joined the MJH Life Sciences team in April 2021. He graduated from The College of New Jersey with a degree in Journalism and Professional Writing. He enjoys listening to records, going to concerts, and playing with his cat Squish. You can reach him at 

Thoracic ultrasound examination may be applicable as a screening method for interstitial lung disease in patients with RA and respiratory symptoms.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

The HCPLive rheumatoid arthritis page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on arthritis. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for RA, and more.

Thoracic Ultrasound Refines Detection of ILD in Rheumatoid Arthritis

After being prescribed another urate lowering therapy for ≥ 30 days, only 51.0% of patients were able to achieve SU < 6 mg/dL. 

Gout

On the HCPLive gout page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into gouty arthritis can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on gout, and more.

Only Half of Patients Starting ULT After Pegloticase Discontinuation Achieved Target SU

This segment of Hemming’s ACP interview featured a discussion of a website used to assess digital applications for patients struggling with mental health issues.


Patrick Hemming, MD: Which Mental Health App is Best for Internal Medicine Patients?

The first in our 3-part quiz series based on the NLA's 2024 update to their 2019 scientific statement on use of lipoprotein(a) in clinical practice focuses on basic considerations surrounding Lp(a) measurement.

Dyslipidemia

Clinical Quiz: Lp(a) Testing Basics from 2024 NLA Update on Use of Lipoprotein(a)

A new study found female patients (8.15%) had a lower mortality rate when treated by female physicians than male physicians (8.38%).

Patients Have Lower Mortality When Treated by Female Physicians

Abeona's pz-cel is up for indicated use to treat patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.

FDA News

Dermatology

The HCPLive dermatology page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on skin disease. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for dermatologic conditions, and more.

Rare Disease Report®

The Rare Disease Report page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on rare diseases. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for sickle cell disease, multiple myeloma, and more.

FDA Issues CRL to Abeona for Potential RDEB Cell Therapy

Rilzabrutinib led to a durable platelet response in adult patients with persistent or chronic immune thrombocytopenia in the LUNA 3 study. 

Hematology

Rilzabrutinib Achieves Phase 3 Primary Endpoint in Immune Thrombocytopenia

Experts discuss the use of biosimilars in treating neovascular age-related macular edema (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into ophthalmic disease can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on eye disease research, treatment, and drug development.

Latest News

Calliditas Announces Open Label Extension Results for Budesonide (Nefecon) in IgA Nephropathy

Audrey Chun, MD: Practical Recommendations to Give Older Patients for Exercise, Cognitive Health

2024 State of the Air: Record Highs in US Particle Pollution, with John Balmes, MD

Phase 3 Data on Brilaroxazine for Schizophrenia with Larry Ereshefsky, PharmD

Study Details Epitope Binding, Efficacy of IL-23 Inhibitors in Plaque Psoriasis