Tim Smith joined the MJH Life Sciences team in 2022 and is currently an associate editor for 

. He is also the executive producer of two podcasts: 

. Previously, he was the producer of the Lungcast podcast. He graduated from UC Berkeley and worked in multimedia journalism as a staff writer prior to joining MJH. You can contact him at tsmith@mjhlifesciences.com.

Credit: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS)

 treated with bimekizumab (Bimzelx) for 3 years reported substantial gains in quality of life and symptom relief, regardless of how many draining tunnels they had at the start of treatment. The pooled BE HEARD data were presented at the 2026 Symposium on Hidradenitis Suppurativa Advances (SHSA) in Tucson, Arizona.¹ By year 3, about half of patients in every baseline tunnel category reported that HS had no effect on their quality of life.

Draining tunnels are linked to disease progression and drive much of the pain, itch, drainage and odor patients experience. Bimekizumab, which inhibits both interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F, was approved by the 

 for adults with moderate to severe HS in November 2024, based on the phase 3 BE HEARD I and BE HEARD II trials.²˒³

The analysis was led by Christopher J. Sayed, MD, of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. His co-authors included Martina L. Porter, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, and Hessel H. van der Zee, MD, PhD, of Erasmus Medical Center.¹

Investigators pooled data from BE HEARD I and II and the open-label BE HEARD EXT study. Of 868 patients randomly assigned to bimekizumab 320 mg at baseline, 556 entered the extension and continued treatment. Results are reported as observed cases through year 3 (148 weeks).¹

Patients were grouped by baseline draining tunnel count: 0, 1 to 2, 3 to 5 or more than 5. At baseline, the mean age was 36.3 years, 53.8% of patients were female, the mean draining tunnel count was 3.8 and 45.5% had Hurley stage III disease.¹ Outcomes included the HS Quality of Life (HiSQOL) total score and individual items from the HS Symptom Questionnaire (HSSQ).

How Did Draining Tunnels and Quality of Life Change Over 3 Years?

The share of patients with no draining tunnels rose from 23.6% at baseline to 68.7% (252/367) at year 3. The share with more than 5 tunnels fell from 23.2% to 4.1% (15/367).¹

At baseline, 1.4% to 6.1% of patients across tunnel groups had a HiSQOL total score of 4 or lower, meaning HS had no impact on their quality of life.¹ At year 3, the rates were:

43.8% (32/73) for patients with no baseline tunnels

Which HS Symptoms Improved With Bimekizumab?

In every tunnel category, the proportion of patients scoring 0 on each HSSQ symptom item was no higher than 12.2% at baseline and rose to similar levels across groups by year 3.¹ At year 3, the share of patients with no symptoms was:

At baseline, these rates had ranged from 0% to 3.1% for skin pain and 0.8% to 10.7% for drainage.¹ The authors concluded that the results show long-term benefit and reduced cumulative disease burden with bimekizumab.

The observed-case analysis includes only patients who stayed on treatment, and the open-label extension had no comparator arm. UCB funded the study, and 4 of the 12 authors are UCB employees.¹

Editor’s Note: This summary has been edited for grammar and clarity using artificial intelligence tools.

Sayed CJ, Porter ML, Weisman J, et al. Bimekizumab improves patient-reported outcomes regardless of baseline DT count: 3-year BE HEARD trial. Presented at: Symposium on Hidradenitis Suppurativa Advances; November 6-8, 2026; Tucson, AZ.

Kimball AB, Jemec GBE, Sayed CJ, et al. Efficacy and safety of bimekizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (BE HEARD I and BE HEARD II): two 48-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre phase 3 trials. 

. 2024;403(10443):2504-2519. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00101-6.

Smith T. FDA approves bimekizumab for adults with hidradenitis suppurativa. 

. Published November 20, 2024. Accessed November 10, 2026. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/fda-approves-bimekizumab-adults-with-hidradenitis-suppurativa

Articles

In 3-year BE HEARD data, close to half of bimekizumab-treated HS patients reported no quality-of-life impact, regardless of baseline draining tunnel count.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Hidradenitis Suppurativa condition center page, audiences can find a variety of coverage mediums for medical news and updates, including articles, video interviews, podcasts, and breaking news on dermatology research, treatment, and drug development.

News

news page, resources on the topics of disease- and specialty-specific medical news and expert insight can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on health care research, treatment, and drug development.

Clinical

clinical page is a resource for content on every specialty, disease, and topic available on our medical news site.

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.

3-Year BE HEARD Data Link Bimekizumab to Fewer HS Draining Tunnels

Autumn Burnette, MD, FACAAI, a clinical allergist physician at Howard University.

 has launched Allergy Rounds with Dr. Autumn, a monthly 

 podcast hosted by Autumn Burnette, MD, an allergist and immunologist at Howard University in Washington, DC, focused on new approvals, pipeline therapies, and what they mean for practice.

Allergy Rounds With Dr. Autumn

Each episode will start with recent headlines and examine what they mean for prescribing decisions the following week. New approvals often raise practical questions, including access, comparisons with current therapy, and whether insurers will require step therapy first.

“Rarely do patients come in with just one issue, and quite often I have to consult my colleagues in other specialties,” Burnette said. “Everyone brings what they know, and the plan gets better.”

Topics on the Allergy Rounds Podcast Agenda

Burnette will sit down once a month with fellow allergists and colleagues from other specialties, including pulmonologists and dermatologists. As an allergist, she sees conditions spanning respiratory, skin, gastrointestinal, and hematologic disease.

Planned topics include emerging hereditary angioedema (HAE) therapies and gene research, newly approved triple therapies for asthma, and newer nonsteroidal options in atopic dermatitis. The show will also examine payer barriers standing between patients and treatment.

Hereditary Angioedema Series Opens the Podcast


Allergy Rounds with Dr. Autumn is a monthly HCPLive podcast covering new approvals, pipeline therapies, and practice issues in allergy and immunology, with guests from multiple specialties.

What will the first episode of Allergy Rounds cover?


The first episode will focus on HAE, including the 2026 treatment landscape, updated guidelines, unmet needs, and therapies in the pipeline.

How can clinicians suggest topics for Allergy Rounds?


Listeners can share topic ideas with HCPLive on social media at @hcplivenews.

The first full episode will focus on HAE and how far care has come in 2026. Burnette will review the treatment landscape, discuss updated guidelines, address unmet needs, and look at the pipeline beyond 2026.

The World Allergy Organization (WAO) published its 2025 guidelines for the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of HAE in 2026.¹ The guidelines call for a treat-to-target approach to long-term prophylaxis, reassessed at least annually through shared decision-making, and on-demand treatment access for every patient with confirmed HAE.¹ The FDA also accepted with priority review the biologics license application for lonvoguran ziclumeran (lonvo-z), a single-dose in vivo CRISPR therapy.²

New episodes of Allergy Rounds with Dr. Autumn post monthly in audio and video formats on major podcast platforms and hcplive.com.

Editor’s note: Reported disclosures include Ionis Pharmaceuticals, ARS Pharmaceuticals Operations, GENZYME CORPORATION, Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Organon LLC, Lilly USA, LLC, CSL Behring, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, and more.

Vázquez DO, Giavina-Bianchi P, Josviack D, et al. The 2025 WAO guidelines for the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of hereditary angioedema, with consideration of worldwide disparities. 

HCPLive. Lonvo-z BLA accepted by FDA with priority review for HAE. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/lonvo-z-bla-accepted-fda-priority-review-hae

. Published September 8, 2026. Accessed November 9, 2026.

Podcasts

Autumn Burnette, MD, hosts a new monthly allergy and immunology podcast from HCPLive, opening with an episode on hereditary angioedema.

podcasts page features a feed of medical news and interview podcast series, including DocTalk, Lungcast, Derm Discussions, and Heart Trials.

Allergy

Allergy condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on allergic and inflammatory diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for food and seasonal allergies, as well as allergic asthma and related conditions.

Allergy Rounds is a monthly podcast where Autumn Burnette, MD, of Howard University makes the rounds with allergists, pulmonologists, dermatologists, and other specialists to discuss what’s new, from emerging HAE therapies and gene-editing research to newly approved triple therapies and the payer battles that stand between patients and treatment. Each episode goes past the press release to ask what a new approval, trial result, or guideline shift actually means for the clinician deciding what to prescribe next week.

Martina J. Porter, MD, is a dermatologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Povorcitinib, an oral selective JAK1 inhibitor, met its primary endpoint in the 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 STOP-HS trials of 1,227 patients with moderate to severe 

 (HS).¹ At week 12, HiSCR50 rates were 40% (82/204) and 41% (82/202) with 45 mg and 75 mg in STOP-HS1 versus 30% (60/202) with placebo.¹ In STOP-HS2, HiSCR50 rates were 42% (88/208) for both doses versus 29% (58/203) with placebo.¹

Martina Porter, MD, is a dermatologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and vice chair of research and academics in its department of dermatology. She specializes in HS care and clinical trials and is first author of the STOP-HS report published in Nature Medicine in August 2026.¹

Through week 54, HiSCR50 reached up to 71.4%, HiSCR75 up to 57%, and HiSCR100 up to 29%, according to Incyte.² Draining tunnels fell by up to 62.0% and abscesses by up to 63.7% with the 75 mg dose at week 54.² Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 76.2% to 83.4% of patients, with acne, nasopharyngitis, and upper respiratory tract infections most frequent, and serious events in 3.7% to 6.4%.²

Incyte has submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA and a Marketing Authorization Application to the EMA, and both are under review.² If approved, povorcitinib would add a mechanism distinct from the TNF alpha and IL-17 inhibitors used in HS today. In the following interview, Porter discusses unmet needs in HS, how response builds over time, which patients may benefit most, and the safety of oral JAK1 inhibition.

: How does an oral JAK1 inhibitor add to a treatment landscape of injectable biologics for HS?

 It's been interesting to see how HS has evolved in terms of our research pursuits in the last few years. We're very fortunate to have so many drugs that have gone through phase 3 studies and even been approved in the last couple of years. Adalimumab has been available for over 10 years now for HS, and it was our first and only drug, a TNF alpha inhibitor. In the last 2 years, we've had secukinumab and bimekizumab approved for HS, and I think that really revolutionized the field by giving us more options. It's amazing that we're going to have a totally different mechanism and also administration route for patients. 

Povorcitinib is an oral selective JAK1 inhibitor. It's not approved for anything else yet, but it has been looked at in other conditions in dermatology. The very exciting part is not so much that it's oral, it's that it offers a totally different option for patients. TNF alpha and IL-17 are relatively close in the signaling pathway, and JAK inhibition in the JAK-STAT pathway doesn't overlap with TNF or IL-17 to the same degree. It may inhibit some of those molecules downstream, but it's not directly in line, so we're looking at being able to offer a totally different mechanism. For some patients who have already taken biologics and had very minimal response, this could be very promising. I've also seen in clinical practice that it has varying effects on different types of HS patients, so I also think it could be considered first line in the future, depending on how it's approved by the FDA.

: Is it time to raise the bar for what counts as a successful treatment response in HS?

 I think the answer overall is yes, with a lot of caveats to go along with it. The most important thing for patients is that when they start taking a medication, they notice something improving relatively soon, which keeps them motivated to stay on therapy. Seeing patients hit HiSCR50 as early as week 3 matters to them. I always say in clinical practice that HiSCR75, or approximately a 75% improvement, is what allows patients to take a therapy and say they're happy enough and want to continue. That's been supported by some of our patient-reported outcomes, where we see pretty stark differences between patients who get 75% better and those who do not. That's what I personally try to shoot for in clinical practice, but obviously the best outcomes for patients would be HiSCR90 and HiSCR100. Across all medications and all trials, though, it's very hard to hit those marks. It's not like psoriasis drugs, where we get PASI 75, 90, and 100 in more than half of patients in less than 4 months. 

Even though HiSCR50 is our primary endpoint at week 12, HS is such an inflammatory and long-standing chronic disease that with most medications we see even more patients hit HiSCR50 at the 24-week mark, and again at 54 weeks. I always tell patients and other people treating HS that it's more of a marathon than a sprint. It requires a lot of patience on all of our parts, patients and clinicians, to wait to see these improvements. Improvement at week 3 and week 12 is important, but the maximum efficacy for most of these drugs lies 24 to 54 weeks down the line, and long-term data from other trials now show patients can still improve out to the 2- and 3-year marks. For milder patients we'll see improvements much sooner, but for patients with long-standing disease it takes a lot more time, so we don't want to give up too soon.

: Which patients do you expect to benefit most from povorcitinib, including those who have already taken biologics?

 At one of the recent conferences, they did an analysis of patients who were biologic-exposed prior to entering the trial to see what their efficacy endpoints were. The patients who had previously failed or stopped biologics for whatever reason did just as well as patients overall in the trial. That might sound like a throwaway, but it's a big difference, because those patients had much higher lesion counts and worse disease at baseline, with higher abscess, nodule, and draining tunnel counts, and they were still able to achieve the same types of endpoints as a patient who had never taken a biologic. 

By the time this drug comes to market, quite a few of our patients will have already taken biologics, so it's important to know how this population does. To me, it suggests a really good treatment option for patients who may have already failed one of these biologics, because TNF alpha and IL-17 inhibitors are not that far apart in the pathophysiology they're targeting, whereas JAK inhibitors, specifically JAK1 selective, target different pathways. It also supports the idea that there are different drivers of disease for different patients, and some who didn't respond to traditional biologics may not have had disease signaling through TNF alpha or IL-17. For treatment-refractory patients, it also potentially opens the door to combining therapies, since JAK1 selective and IL-17A, for example, have very little overlap, and you may be able to hit both if you're able to get them approved. 

I've used quite a few of the JAK inhibitors already approved for other conditions, and I've noticed something that isn't the type of data we capture in clinical trials: I think 2 populations really benefit from JAK inhibitors in HS. One looks very similar to the Crohn's patients we see with horrible tunneling or lots of fistulas in the groin and buttocks, the patients who sit down on the bed and there's pus everywhere. Those patients do pretty well on high-dose JAK inhibition, and it may be that they're more of a Crohn's phenotype, which also has many JAK inhibitors approved. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum are people with a lot of nodules who don't really make tunnels over time. They have a very long-standing history of disease, and maybe lots of females in their family have a similar presentation. 

Those patients also do really well with JAK inhibition, but they're probably not the patients people automatically think need systemic therapy, because they're milder. I do think it'll be important as we move forward to start treating earlier, before people get scarring and tunneling, and maybe this medication will have a big impact in what we now call the window of opportunity to halt their disease before it gets worse.

: Acne was the most common treatment-emergent adverse event. How did patients tolerate it, and how should dermatologists counsel and manage it?

 Acne was the most common treatment-emergent adverse event in this trial, affecting just under 20% of patients overall. The interesting part was there was no dose-related issue. We thought maybe at the 12-week mark the higher dose had higher rates of acne, but when you look out to 54 weeks, the 2 groups had about the same number of patients with acne. They graded the severity of acne for this trial, and it's nice to be a dermatologist doing a clinical trial because we know we can trust the severity assessments for a skin condition. Almost all patients were mild, with a few moderate, and no one developed large cystic or severe acne reactions requiring discontinuation of the drug. Acne and HS also overlap a lot in treatment. 

In clinical practice, for a patient with persistent acne, we might start with topicals and then transition to oral antibiotics or isotretinoin. In HS clinical trials, though, all of those medications can potentially affect the HS efficacy endpoints, so they're prohibited, and patients weren't able to receive full acne treatment. It's difficult to know what would have happened if we had been able to treat them adequately, which we'll be able to do in real practice. My personal experience is that JAK inhibitors cause acne across all populations, whether patients take them for atopic dermatitis, alopecia areata, or inflammatory bowel disease, and the patterns are very similar: mostly milder lesions in a hormonal distribution. HS mostly affects younger females, who are much more likely to get hormonal acne, so it wasn't surprising to see more acne in this population than in others. 

This is the first very large phase 3 trial we've finished for JAK inhibitors in HS, so I think we're seeing a combination of the medication causing acne, which isn't unexpected for a JAK inhibitor, and a patient population at much higher risk of getting acne. I've been very successful in my clinical practice treating patients with the same acne paradigm we use for patients who don't have HS and aren't on JAK inhibitors.

Editor's Note: This transcript has been edited for grammar and clarity using artificial intelligence tools. Disclosures for Porter include AbbVie, Almirall, Arcutis, Aristea Therapeutics, Avalo Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Janssen, Merck, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics, Navigator Biosciences, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Sonoma Biotherapeutics, UCB and Zura Bio, and others.

Porter ML, et al. Povorcitinib for hidradenitis suppurativa: the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled STOP-HS1 and STOP-HS2 phase 3 trials. 

. 2026;32(8):3071-3081. doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04534-z

Incyte. Incyte announces new positive 54-week late-breaking data for povorcitinib in hidradenitis suppurativa at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting. Published March 28, 2026. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260328441699/en/incyte-announces-new-positive-54-week-late-breaking-data-for-povorcitinib-in-hidradenitis-suppurativa-at-the-2026-american-academy-of-dermatology-aad-annual-meeting/

Martina Porter, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center discusses unmet needs in HS and where oral povorcitinib fits among emerging options.

Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium

Unmet Needs in HS and Emerging Oral Options, With Martina Porter, MD

Mazen Noureddin, MD, MHSc, is a professor of medicine and a transplant hepatologist at Houston Methodist and director of the Houston Research Institute.

Zabopegdutide, an investigational liver-targeted dual glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)/glucagon receptor agonist, met both key histologic end points at 48 weeks in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), according to phase 2 data presented by Mazen Noureddin, MD, MHSc, at The Liver Meeting 2026 in Denver, Colorado.

“Glucagon does have a direct effect on the liver, especially the anti-fibrotic effects,” Noureddin, professor of medicine at the Sherrie & Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease & Transplantation at Houston Methodist Hospital, told HCPLive.

Zabopegdutide for MASH: 48-Week Fibrosis Data

Zabopegdutide Improves Fibrosis, MASH Resolution at 48 Weeks

How Did Zabopegdutide Perform at 48 Weeks?

In the double-blind DD01-DN-02 trial, 67 patients with MASLD or MASH were randomized to weekly subcutaneous zabopegdutide 40 mg or placebo.1 Among patients with paired biopsies, 50.0% receiving zabopegdutide achieved at least 1-stage fibrosis improvement without worsening of MASH, compared with 15.8% receiving placebo (

 = .03). MASH resolution without worsening of fibrosis occurred in 62.5% vs 5.3% (

< .001), and 37.5% vs 5.3% met both end points (

= .02).1 An artificial intelligence-based measure of fibrosis also favored zabopegdutide.1

The 48-week findings extend 12-week results published earlier this year, when 76% of treated patients achieved at least a 30% relative reduction in liver fat by MRI-proton density fat fraction, the trial’s primary end point, vs 12% receiving placebo.2 Treatment-emergent adverse events were mostly gastrointestinal and mild or moderate, with 2 drug-related serious events reported.1

The data arrive as the MASH treatment landscape expands beyond resmetirom (Rezdiffra) and semaglutide (Wegovy), now approved for noncirrhotic MASH with moderate to advanced fibrosis.3 Noureddin notes that histologic benefit emerged despite a small biopsy subgroup, though phase 2b and 3 trials in larger populations are needed to confirm the results.

Watch the full interview to hear Noureddin discuss the rationale for the compound’s liver-targeted design, longer-term liver fat findings, and the agents in the MASH pipeline he is watching most closely.

Noureddin M, Dunn W, Patil R, et al. Topline histology data: zabopegdutide (DD01), a dual GLP-1/glucagon agonist, drives significant fibrosis improvement and MASH resolution at 48 weeks. Presented at: The Liver Meeting 2026; November 5-9, 2026; Denver, CO.

Noureddin M, Dunn W, Patil R, et al. The glucagon and GLP-1 receptor dual agonist DD01 for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and steatohepatitis (DD01-DN-02): 12-week results from a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial. 

. 2026;11(10):887-896. doi:10.1016/S2468-1253(26)00130-5

FDA approves semaglutide (Wegovy) injection 2.4 mg for noncirrhotic MASH. HCPLive. August 15, 2025. Accessed November 9, 2026. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/fda-approves-semaglutide-wegovy-injection-2-4-mg-for-noncirrhotic-mash

Videos

Phase 2 data show zabopegdutide, a dual GLP-1/glucagon agonist, improved fibrosis and drove MASH resolution vs placebo at 48 weeks.

Conference

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

MASH / MASLD

The HCPLive MASH & MASLD page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and steatohepatitis. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for fatty liver disease, steatohepatitis, and more.

Hepatology

Physician and CEO, Chicago Allergy Center, and board director at American Lung Association

 activity is rising across the United States earlier than usual.¹ The CDC reported 9.1% of clinical lab specimens positive for influenza during the week ending Oct. 31, with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 accounting for 97.7% of subtyped influenza A viruses.¹ The agency estimates at least 1.7 million illnesses, 25,000 hospitalizations, and 1,400 deaths so far this season.¹

COVID-19 vaccination remains low as flu season gets underway. In 2025-26, 18% of adults and 9% of children received a COVID-19 vaccine, and antiviral use remains under 15%, according to the 

.² Earlier this year, a release from the organization highlights ensitrelvir for postexposure prophylaxis in people 12 years and older and pemivibart for moderately to severely immunocompromised patients.²

For fall 2026, the association recommends annual flu vaccination for anyone 6 months and older and a COVID-19 vaccination discussion with a provider for the same group.³ Adults 75 and older, and those 50 to 74 at increased risk, should receive a single RSV vaccine if they have not already.³ Respiratory viruses are a leading cause of asthma exacerbations, and infections are a leading cause of COPD flare-ups.³

Juanita Mora, MD, is a physician and CEO of Chicago Allergy Center, a national volunteer medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association, and a member of its national board. An allergist and immunologist trained in internal medicine and pediatrics, she sees children and adults with asthma. In the following interview, Mora discusses why COVID-19 prevention tools remain underused and how specialists can close the gap.

: Why do COVID-19 vaccine and antiviral use remain low despite effective options, and how can clinicians help close the gap?

The ALA is starting this campaign to raise awareness of the need for COVID-19 vaccination, because we tend to see 2 peaks for COVID-19. One is a summer peak, which we’re already seeing throughout the country, and the other is a winter peak. We want to make sure people who are eligible get a booster [at both times], especially those who received their COVID-19 vaccine in the fall [and] f they fall into a category that makes them high risk for complications from COVID-19.

When we’re talking about high-risk groups, we’re talking about people older than 65 years, people with underlying lung disease, kidney disease, or cardiovascular disease like high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, or a history of stroke, and diabetes. Those are big ones, and we want to make sure people know this booster exists. The same goes for anyone who’s immunocompromised, such as people receiving chemotherapy or anything immunosuppressive, who may need a booster dose to help protect against COVID-19.

: Who should receive ensitrelvir and pemivibart for COVID-19 prevention, and how should clinicians identify and counsel patients likely to benefit?

The ALA is also highlighting antiviral prophylactic treatment for high-risk groups. This is important for doctors who treat patients and may identify people at high risk for COVID-19 complications. Again, these might be people older than 65 years, or people with underlying lung disease, heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, or a history of stroke, anything that makes them high risk. There’s also prophylactic treatment for children older than 12 years who might be immunocompromised. It can sometimes start at the onset of exposure to COVID-19 for some patients, and for others it’s during peak season, when even though they’ve received the vaccine, their bodies might not produce as much protection. In that case, this antiviral prophylactic treatment can be given. We want to make doctors aware that there are these 2 treatments for pediatric and adult patients to help protect them against COVID-19 complications.

HCPLive: What is driving vaccine hesitancy, especially among the most vulnerable populations, and what messaging works best?

Vaccination rates for COVID-19 have been low throughout the country. I think out of sight is out of mind for a lot of people, and many people feel we’re done with the pandemic, so we don’t have to worry about COVID-19 anymore. What I tell patients is COVID-19 has become like the flu: it’s coming back every season, and it’s here to stay. We’re going to have a summer peak and a winter peak, just as we have a winter peak for the flu, and then RSV. It’s part of the respiratory virus trifecta, as I call it, so we need to be protected against it. Just like we remember to get our yearly flu vaccine, and those who are eligible get the RSV vaccine as well, we also have to remember to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and get the most updated one, because the actual strain out every season is going to be different. We need to match the vaccination to the current strain, so it’s very helpful for the new vaccine to be given so you have protection against the newest strain out there.

: What is the specialist’s role in COVID-19 prevention and treatment beyond primary care?

As a specialist, I see a lot of respiratory infections, and I see kids and adults with asthma, which is a big risk factor for complications from COVID-19. I make sure I counsel them, especially when I see their records and they have other overlapping diseases like coronary artery disease or a history of diabetes. I always ask as part of my visit when their last COVID-19 vaccine was, when their last flu vaccine was, and when their last RSV vaccine was, if they’ve had one at all. 

I want to capture the whole population, even the babies. I see babies with wheezing since they’re very little, and I want to make sure they’re also getting their COVID-19 vaccines, because it’s approved for six months and above. We want to cover the whole family, not only older adults and at-risk populations. If we keep the babies and the kids healthy, then we’re also going to keep the grandparents and everyone older in the family healthy, because it becomes a family affair. Especially in underserved areas and communities, it’s often the grandparents who take care of the kids, picking them up from school, and we want to make sure they’re vaccinated and the kids are vaccinated so everyone stays healthy for the respiratory season.

As a specialist, I make sure I have the vaccinations here in clinic so I can offer them. If I have them in the seat, I might as well give it, and it makes them more likely to get it because they’re having a conversation, I’m making the recommendation, and they can just get it over with, which I think is important.

Editor’s Note: This transcript has been edited for grammar and clarity using artificial intelligence tools. Mora has no relevant disclosures to report.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Weekly US influenza surveillance report: key updates for week 43, ending October 31, 2026. Accessed November 9, 2026. 

https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2026-week-43.html

American Lung Association. American Lung Association highlights therapeutic options available to prevent and treat COVID-19. Published July 28, 2026. Accessed November 9, 2026. 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-lung-association-highlights-therapeutic-options-available-to-prevent-and-treat-covid-19-302835975.html

American Lung Association. Prepping for fall: it is time for everyone to get their annual respiratory virus vaccines. Published September 29, 2026. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/fy27-fall-vaccines-release

Juanita Mora, MD, of Chicago Allergy Center discusses strategies from boosters and antiviral prophylaxis to specialist counseling.

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.

Strategic Alliance Partnership

Closing the COVID-19 Prevention Gap This Flu Season, With Juanita Mora, MD

Stay updated with the latest healthcare breakthroughs, including 96-week durability data for GSK’s bepirovirsen in hepatitis B, and more.

Endocrinology

The HCPLive endocrinology page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on endocrine system conditions. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for diabetes, hormonal disease, and more.

This page also hosts content previously published by EndocrinologyNetwork. 


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...

The HCPFive: Top News for Healthcare Providers from the Week of 11/1

Ryan Livingston joined the MJH Life Sciences team in March of 2025, shortly after graduating from TCNJ with a bachelor’s degree in English. He enjoys creative writing, reading, and scuba diving. He can be reached at rlivingston@mjhlifesciences.com.

The FDA approved asundexian with antiplatelet therapy after non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA, based on OCEANIC-STROKE data.

Stroke

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

FDA News

Asundexian Receives FDA Approval for Secondary Stroke Prevention

Robert S. Rosenson, MD is a professor of cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Robert Rosenson, MD, discusses the long-term extension of the phase 3 PALISADE trial, which demonstrated plozasiran’s association with lower ApoC3 and fasting TG.

Dyslipidemia

PALISADE Extension Supports Plozasiran’s Efficacy, Safety in Familial Chylomicronemia

David Singh, MBBChir, MA (Cantab), MRCP, MD, FBPhS, FERS, is a professor of Clinical Pharmacology & Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester and is the medical director of the Medicines Evaluation Unit (MEU).

Most patients with type 2 COPD also have non-type 2 inflammation, shaping how clinicians may use targeted and anti-alarmin biologics, per Dave Singh, MD.

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.

Type 2 Biologics in COPD: Lessons from Asthma and What Comes Next

Chelsie Derman is an associate editor for 

who covers allergy and  psychiatry. She joined MJH Life Sciences in September 2023 after graduating from The College of New Jersey with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and professional writing. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing and reading.

Clinicians at ACAAI 2026 will see late-breaking HAE, anaphylaxis, urticaria, and food allergy data, plus exclusive expert interviews.

Anaphylaxis

The HCPLive anaphylaxis page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on acute allergic reactions. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for preventing anaphylaxis, and more.

Food Allergy

ACAAI 2026 Preview: Late-Breakers to Watch Out For

Pavel Strnad, MD, is a full professor and leading physician at the University Hospital Aachen in Germany.

Pavel Strnad, MD, discusses interim RestorAATion-2 data showing RNA editing with WVE-006 restored functional M-AAT and reduced Z-AAT in Pi*ZZ AATD.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

RNA Editing With WVE-006 Restores Functional AAT, Cuts Z-AAT in AATD

Jörn Schattenberg, MD, is a professor of medicine and director of the Metabolic Liver Research Program at the University Medical Center Mainz in Germany.

Jörn Schattenberg, MD, discusses phase 2b data showing efinopegdutide improved MASH resolution and fibrosis vs placebo, with an open-label semaglutide arm.

Efinopegdutide Improves MASH Resolution, Fibrosis in Phase 2b Trial

Mona Shahriari, MD, and Valerie D. Callender, MD, discuss trial diversity, better outcome measures, and how investigators can earn patient trust.

Skin of Color Savvy: The Art and Science of Treating Patients of Color

Hosted by Skin of Color Society and produced by HCPLive, 

 delves into the latest research, clinical insights, and culturally intelligent care practices in dermatology with leading experts. 

Whether it’s groundbreaking research, practice-changing insights, or highlights from the SOCS community, this twice-monthly program provides dermatologists and care providers with expert perspectives on treating patients with skin of color.

Skin of Color Savvy: Trials & Trust—What Meaningful Representation Means

Compass Pathways completed its NDA for COMP360 based on 2 phase 3 trials and a phase 2b study in > 1000 participants with highly chronic TRD.

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.

Major Depressive Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into depression can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on MDD research, treatment, and drug development.

COMP360 Psilocybin NDA Submitted to FDA for Treatment-Resistant Depression

In a UCB-funded network meta-analysis of 17 trials, bimekizumab ranked first on HiSCR50, HiSCR75, and IHS4-55 among HS drugs at Weeks 12 - 16.

Latest News

3-Year BE HEARD Data Link Bimekizumab to Fewer HS Draining Tunnels

Allergy Rounds With Dr. Autumn

Unmet Needs in HS and Emerging Oral Options, With Martina Porter, MD

Zabopegdutide Improves Fibrosis, MASH Resolution at 48 Weeks

Closing the COVID-19 Prevention Gap This Flu Season, With Juanita Mora, MD