A study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III revealed significant gender disparities in the risk of death associated with liver diseases. Women with concurrent metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) face an 83% higher risk of all-cause mortality compared to men. Additionally, women with ALD alone have a 160% greater risk of death. The study analyzed data from 10,007 adults and found notable differences in the prevalence of MASLD, MetALD (MASLD and ALD), and ALD between men and women. Over a median follow-up of 26.7 years, the study observed 2,496…
Author: Abhay Panchal
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved EOHILIA (budesonide oral suspension), the first and only FDA-approved oral therapy for individuals aged 11 years and older with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). EOHILIA, a corticosteroid, is indicated for a 12-week treatment period and features a novel formulation that enhances its effectiveness in treating EoE. The approval is based on two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, which demonstrated significant improvements in both histologic remission and patient-reported Dysphagia Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ) scores. Key Insights Image Source & Credit: Business Wire
Freenome, a biotech company, has raised $254 million to enhance its multiomics platform for early cancer detection. This funding, led by Roche, will advance clinical programs for single-cancer and multi-cancer detection tests. Freenome’s approach integrates molecular biology with computational biology and machine learning for early, non-invasive cancer detection. Key Insights Image Source & Credit: PR News Wire
The study focuses on the use of Eosinophil-Derived Neurotoxin (EDN) as a biomarker for diagnosing eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Dr. Yamen Smadi and his team at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children found that EDN is a practical, simple, and inexpensive tool for EoE diagnosis, particularly useful in challenging cases. The study, awarded at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 2023 annual meeting, involved 231 children, with 140 having a history of EoE and 140 serving as controls. EDN was measured in esophageal brushing samples during endoscopy, showing strong correlation with endoscopic reference score (EREFS) and peak eosinophil count (PEC), demonstrating 84.4%…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance to Nanox’s HealthFLD artificial intelligence software. This software is designed to assist clinicians in detecting fatty liver associated with hepatic steatosis. HealthFLD aims to facilitate the early detection of liver steatosis by providing automated qualitative and quantitative assessments of liver attenuation from routine chest and abdomen CT scans for patients aged 18 to 75 years. A key feature of the HealthFLD software is its ability to analyze contrast-enhanced CT scans with high accuracy. In a retrospective study involving 2,917 patients, HealthFLD demonstrated a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity…
In a 24-week phase 3 randomized placebo-controlled study, oral intragastric expandable capsules have shown promising results in reducing body weight in adults with overweight or obesity. These capsules, taken twice daily before meals, expand with water in the stomach to fill about one quarter of its volume, aiding in weight loss. The study involved 280 adults aged 18-60 years with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 24 kg/m^2. The primary endpoints of the study were the percentage change in body weight from baseline and the weight loss response rate (at least 5% weight loss from baseline body weight) at…
Physician groups have welcomed a new federal rule announced on January 17, which requires health insurers to streamline and disclose more information about their prior authorization processes. This rule, applicable to insurers in federal programs like Medicare Advantage and Medicaid, mandates a response to expedited prior authorization requests within 72 hours and other requests within 7 days. Insurers must also explain their reasons for denying a prior authorization request and publicly release data on denial and approval rates for medical treatments. Additionally, they are required to provide patients with more information about decisions to deny care. Compliance with some provisions…
Gastroenterology was among the five highest-paid specialties in 2023, but its position in the rankings has shuffled in the last decade. Here is how the average annual salary of gastroenterologists has evolved over the last 10 years, along with the percent change from year to year, using Medscape’s annual “Physician Compensation Survey” editions from 2013 to 2023. Overall, the average salary among gastroenterologists increased by 47% in the last decade. 2023: $501,000 (+10.6%)2022: $453,000 (+11.6%)2021: $406,000 (-3.1%)2020: $419,000 (+0.5%)2019: $417,000 (+2.2%)2018: $408,000 (+4.3%)2017: $391,000 (+2.9%)2016: $380,000 (+2.7%)2015: $370,000 (+6.3%)2014: $348,000 (+0.6%)2013: $342,000 (+12.9%)
In 2020, gastrointestinal (GI) cancers contributed to 25.1% of the global lifetime risk of developing cancer, with colorectal cancer (CRC) presenting the highest risk among GI cancers. A study published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology by Shaoming Wang, PhD, and colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, found that the global lifetime risk for developing GI cancer was one in 12 people, while one in 16 people will die from it. The study used data from the Global Cancer Observatory 2020 for 185 countries and categorized countries into quartiles of the Human Development…
Healthcare services company Curative Insurance Company and GRAIL, a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured, announced the availability of Galleri, a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) screening test to eligible insurance plan members. The Galleri test will be available to all members, across all plan types, who are over the age of 50 and to all other members with risk factors for developing cancer. The Galleri test is part of the list of benefit offerings available for $0 copay and $0 deductible* on Curative’s health insurance plan. A simple blood draw used in…