(Press-News.org) IMPORTANT UPDATE:
The article referenced in Tip #4 on color ultrasound for suspected GCA will not be published on April 30. If you had planned to cover this topic, please hold your stories until further notice. In its place, Annals will publish the following:
Sodium–Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors and the Risk for Dialysis and Cardiovascular Disease in Patients With Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-1874
Please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org or 609-367-4225 with questions or for an embargoed PDF. Thank you.
Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 29 April 2024
Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet
@Annalsofim
Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.
----------------------------
1. Competition from “skinny label” generics saved Medicare billions
Savings were greatest for rosuvastatin, pregabalin, and imatinib
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-3212
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
An analysis of 15 name-brand drugs and their “skinny label” generic counterparts found that competition from these counterparts saved Medicare Part D nearly $15 billion from 2015 to 2021. Skinny labeling allows generic drug manufacturers to exclude labeling information that remains patent-protected by the brand name manufacturer. However, a recent federal appeals court ruling involving a skinny-label generic version of the beta-blocker carvedilol (Coreg; GlaxoSmithKline) has increased liability risk for manufacturers of skinny-label generics. The brief research report is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School conducted an analysis of 15 brand-name drugs with a first-to-market skinny-label generic from 2015 to 2019. The authors compared actual spending on each brand-name drug and its skinny-label generics with projected spending had the skinny-label generics not been introduced. They estimated that actual Medicare spending on these 15 drugs and their skinny-label generics was $16.8 billion, and projected spending without generic competition was $31.5 billion, saving Medicare approximately $14.6 billion from 2015-2021. They note that savings were the greatest for rosuvastatin (Crestor, AstraZeneca; $6.5 billion), pregabalin (Lyrica, Pfizer; $4.2 billion), and imatinib (Gleevec, Novartis; $3.1 billion). The authors caution that deterring the use of skinny labeling, as the recent federal appeals court case might do, could be costly for Medicare and other US payers. They suggest that Congress should reinforce the skinny-label pathway by creating a safe harbor that protects manufacturers engaged in skinny labeling from induced patent infringement lawsuits.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with the corresponding author, Benjamin N. Rome, MD, MPH, please contact BROME@BWH.HARVARD.EDU.
----------------------------
2. Semaglutide suitable for people with HIV and fatty liver disease
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-3354
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
A study of persons with HIV (PWH) and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease, also known as ‘fatty liver disease,’ (MASLD) found that semaglutide was highly effective at reducing liver fat and cardiovascular disease risk in this population. The brief research report was published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers conducted a study of 51 PWH with central adiposity, insulin resistance or prediabetes, and fatty liver disease who were observed over a period of 24 weeks and given semaglutide. The authors found that 29 percent of participants had complete resolution of MASLD, and 58 percent had a relative reduction in liver fat of at least 30 percent. They also report that all participants tolerated 1 mg weekly semaglutide. According to the authors, given the high cardiometabolic disease burden and growing obesity epidemic among PWH, semaglutide may reduce CVD risk while preventing progressive liver disease.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with the corresponding author, Jordan E. Lake, MD, MSCR, please contact Jordan.E.Lake@uth.tmc.edu or 713-500-3030.
----------------------------
3. Small gains in survival with modestly higher risk for adverse events for cancer patients participating in experimental clinical trials
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-2515
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
A systematic review and analysis of 128 trials found that cancer patients’ participation in clinical trials are associated with gains in survival compared with patients given standard-of-care treatments that were statistically significant but not clinically important. These gains also came at the cost of greater risk for serious adverse events (SAEs). The review is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers from McGill University conducted a systematic review of 128 trials comprising 141 comparisons of a new drug and a comparator. These comparisons included 47,050 patients. The authors found that patients in experimental trials about 5 weeks of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with patients receiving usual standard-of-care. They also note that patients in phase 3 studies or those sponsored by large pharmaceutical companies seem to have greater clinical benefit. However, the authors also found that gains in PFS or OS are potentially offset by a modest but statistically significantly elevated risk for SAEs for patients assigned to experimental groups, corresponding with 7.40 percent increase in absolute risk for a SAE in this group. According to the authors, they believe their findings are best interpreted as suggesting that access to experimental interventions that have not yet received full FDA approval is associated with a marginal but nonzero clinical benefit.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with the corresponding author, Jonathan Kimmelman, PhD, please contact jonathan.kimmelman@mcgill.ca.
----------------------------
4. Ultrasound may be viable first-line diagnostic tool for persons with suspected GCA
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-3417
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
A cohort study of persons with suspected giant cell arteritis (GCA) found that the use of ultrasound of the temporal arteries as a first-line diagnostic tool in patients with high clinical suspicion of GCA, further diagnostic tests for patients with positive ultrasound were avoided. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers from the Centre Hospitalier Rochefort, Rochefort, France, conducted a prospective cohort study of 165 patients with high clinical suspicion of GCA. The authors examined the use of color Doppler ultrasound of the temporal artery as a first-line diagnostic test and temporal artery biopsy (TAB) as a secondary test. The authors found that a diagnosis of GCA was confirmed in 44%, 17%, and 21% of patients by ultrasound, TAB, and clinical expertise and/or other imaging tests, respectively. According to the authors, their findings show that the use of temporal artery ultrasound may be an efficient way to make the diagnosis of GCA in patients with high clinical suspicion and to reduce imaging costs and the need for biopsy, thereby limiting complications and the need for a surgeon.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with the corresponding author, Guillaume Denis, MD, please contact guillaume.denis@ght-atlantique17.fr.
----------------------------
END
Competition from “skinny label” generics saved Medicare billions
Savings were greatest for rosuvastatin, pregabalin, and imatinib
2024-04-29
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine announces founding dean and location in downtown New Orleans at Benson Tower
2024-04-29
New Orleans, La. – Xavier University of Louisiana (Xavier), a leading undergraduate institution in preparing Black students to successfully complete medical school, has announced continued progress with Ochsner Health (Ochsner), the Gulf South’s leading academic medical center in training physicians, to launch their transformational Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine (XOCOM). This groundbreaking partnership marks a significant milestone in advancing medical education by addressing health disparities ...
Three Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute faculty members honored by AAAS
2024-04-29
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Boleslaw Szymanski, Ph.D., and Chunyu Wang, M.D. Ph.D., have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement Science (AAAS). Steven Cramer, Ph.D., who was elected AAAS Fellow in 2017, was elected Council Member of the Section on Engineering.
The mission of the AAAS is to “advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all.” Each year, AAAS elects fellows whose “efforts… are scientifically or socially distinguished.”
Over RPI’s 200-year history, 70 RPI faculty members have been ...
STRONG STAR Consortium secures $17 million in DOD research funding for brain injuries, PTSD and more
2024-04-29
SAN ANTONIO, April 29, 2024 – In a recent round of grant awards, the STRONG STAR Consortium based at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense for a total of $17 million in funding to launch eight new research projects focused on traumatic brain injury and psychological health.
The combined projects will enable the consortium to take a big step forward in its mission to advance the care of military personnel and veterans recovering from war-related trauma ...
Scientists harness the wind as a tool to move objects
2024-04-29
Researchers have developed a technique to move objects around with a jet of wind. The new approach makes it possible to manipulate objects at a distance and could be integrated into robots to give machines ethereal fingers.
‘Airflow or wind is everywhere in our living environment, moving around objects like pollen, pathogens, droplets, seeds and leaves. Wind has also been actively used in industry and in our everyday lives – for example, in leaf blowers to clean leaves. But so far, we can’t control the direction the leaves move – we can only blow them together into a pile,’ says Professor Quan Zhou from Aalto University, who led the study.
The first ...
Long snouts protect foxes when diving headfirst in snow
2024-04-29
ITHACA, N.Y. – When hunting for mice in winter, red and arctic fox are known to plunge headfirst at speeds of 2-4 meters per second, but their sharp noses reduce the impact force in snow and protect them from injury, according to a new Cornell University study.
The fundamental research sheds light on the biomechanics of the unique hunting behavior (known as mousing), advances our understanding of animal adaptations and offers insights into snow injuries people experience during snowboarding or skiing.
The study published April 29 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
While ...
Laser imaging could offer early detection for at-risk artwork
2024-04-29
DURHAM, N.C. -- Look closely at Impressionist paintings in museums compared with photos of them taken 50 years ago, and you might notice something odd: some are losing their bright yellow hues.
Take the dramatic sunset in Edward Munch’s famous painting “The Scream.” Portions of the sky that were once a vivid orangish yellow have faded to off-white.
Likewise, some of the sunny yellow that Henri Matisse brushed between the reclining nudes in his painting “The Joy of Life” is now more of a drab beige.
Several other paintings from this period are facing ...
"BioBlitz" citizen science reveals urban biodiversity, guides management
2024-04-29
Citizen scientists are uncovering rare animal, plant, and fungi species in areas where they have never been seen before, increasing our knowledge of urban biodiversity and proving the existence of local species long thought extinct. The approach used is called a BioBlitz, a biological census in which citizen scientists contribute photographs or audio of living organisms they can see or hear in a designated area over a particular period, creating a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity.
In a recently published article in the journal BioScience, Dr. Esti Palma (University of Melbourne) ...
Haiti study suggests early-onset heart failure is prevalent form of heart disease in low-income countries
2024-04-29
Early-onset heart failure is alarmingly common in urban Haiti—over 15-fold higher than previously estimated—according to a study conducted by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers in partnership with the Haitian medical organization GHESKIO. Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle can no longer pump an adequate amount of blood throughout the body.
The study indicates that the nature of cardiovascular disease in Haiti, and perhaps other low- and middle-income nations, differs from wealthier countries where ischemic heart disease, also called coronary heart disease, is prevalent. This condition, ...
Maps developed with artificial intelligence confirm low levels of phosphorus in Amazonian soil
2024-04-29
As the impacts of climate change increasingly affect the daily lives of residents in several countries, including Brazil, the resilience of forests, especially tropical ones such as the Amazon, has become a frequent topic of research. In addition to studying various factors that influence the way vegetation reacts to global warming, scientists are seeking to improve vegetation models – tools that play a crucial role in understanding and managing ecosystems, contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
And it is exactly this combination that is described in research published in the journal Earth System Science Data by a group associated ...
Uptick in NYC transit assault rate during COVID pandemic; has not returned to pre-pandemic levels despite subway safety plan
2024-04-29
April 29, 2024-- Has the New York City subway become less safe? This is the question Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health researchers sought to answer in their newest paper investigating rates of complaints to and arrests by the New York City Police Department Transit Bureau. The findings showed that anxieties related to crime on New York City transit rose following NYC’s COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency declaration in 2020, leading to declines in subway ridership. The results are published in the journal Injury Epidemiology.
The ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New data on atmosphere from Earth to the edge of space
Self-destructing vaccine offers enhanced protection against tuberculosis in monkeys
Feeding your good gut bacteria through fiber in diet may boost body against infections
Sustainable building components create a good indoor climate
High levels of disordered eating among young people linked to brain differences
Hydrogen peroxide and the mystery of fruit ripening: ‘Signal messengers’ in plants
T cells’ capability to fully prevent acute viral infections opens new avenues for vaccine development
Study suggests that magma composition drives volcanic tremor
Sea surface temperatures and deeper water temperatures reached a new record high in 2024
Connecting through culture: Understanding its relevance in intercultural lingua franca communication
Men more than three times as likely to die from a brain injury, new US study shows
Tongue cancer organoids reveal secrets of chemotherapy resistance
Applications, limitations, and prospects of different muscle atrophy models in sarcopenia and cachexia research
FIFAWC: A dataset with detailed annotation and rich semantics for group activity recognition
Transfer learning-enhanced physics-informed neural network (TLE-PINN): A breakthrough in melt pool prediction for laser melting
Holistic integrative medicine declaration
Hidden transport pathways in graphene confirmed, paving the way for next-generation device innovation
New Neurology® Open Access journal announced
Gaza: 64,000 deaths due to violence between October 2023 and June 2024, analysis suggests
Study by Sylvester, collaborators highlights global trends in risk factors linked to lung cancer deaths
Oil extraction might have triggered small earthquakes in Surrey
Launch of world’s most significant protein study set to usher in new understanding for medicine
New study from Chapman University reveals rapid return of water from ground to atmosphere through plants
World's darkest and clearest skies at risk from industrial megaproject
UC Irvine-led discovery of new skeletal tissue advances regenerative medicine potential
Pulse oximeters infrequently tested by manufacturers on diverse sets of subjects
Press Registration is open for the 2025 AAN Annual Meeting
New book connects eugenics to Big Tech
Electrifying your workout can boost muscles mass, strength, UTEP study finds
Renewed grant will continue UTIA’s integrated pest management program
[Press-News.org] Competition from “skinny label” generics saved Medicare billionsSavings were greatest for rosuvastatin, pregabalin, and imatinib