Alcohol-associated liver disease, one of the most common types of liver disease worldwide, is associated with tremendous morbidity, mortality, and financial costs. Although significant progress has been made in screening and management of patients with early, or nonadvanced, ALD, there remain unmet clinical needs and areas of future prospects in the management. ALD is caused by alcohol use disorder (AUD)—harmful alcohol consumption (=2 drinks per day or >7 per week in females and =3 drinks daily or >14 weekly in males) despite negative physical, social, and interpersonal consequences accompanied by dependence, withdrawal, and tolerance of alcohol.1 Manifestation of ALD varies…
Author: Abhay Panchal
Around 75,000 healthcare workers initiated a planned three-day strike at Kaiser Permanente facilities across the U.S., marking the largest-ever action of its kind in the healthcare sector. The strike involves nurses, medical technicians, and other support staff from various hospitals in states like California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia, and Washington D.C. The coalition of unions representing these workers claims that Kaiser Permanente, a leading not-for-profit healthcare network, has not addressed the ongoing staffing issues, leading to workers feeling overburdened and undercompensated. The strike comes after the expiration of the previous contract on September 30. The unions argue that Kaiser needs…
A recent study has found that the use of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists for weight loss, when compared with bupropion-naltrexone, is associated with an increased risk of pancreatitis, gastroparesis, and bowel obstruction. However, there was no increased risk for biliary disease. The study, published in JAMA, highlighted that despite these adverse events being rare, they should be considered by patients contemplating the use of these drugs for weight loss. The research was based on a sample of 16 million patients from the PharMetrics Plus database, evaluating gastrointestinal adverse events among new users of GLP-1 agonists between 2006 and 2020.…
United Digestive (UD) is pleased to announce that Mark E. Murphy, MD, FACP, AGAF, from Center for Digestive & Liver Health, has been named “Best Gastroenterologist” in Savannah Magazine’s “The Best of Savannah Doctors 2023” edition. Dr. Murphy’s recognition exemplifies UD’s unwavering commitment to delivering best-in-class patient care. “We are proud of Dr. Mark Murphy’s well-deserved achievement as the ‘Best Gastroenterologist’ in Savannah,” said UD’s Chief Medical Officer John Suh, MD, MPH. “His dedication to excellence in patient care and his exceptional contributions to the field of gastroenterology truly set a high standard for our practice.” Dr. Murphy previously won…
Precede Biosciences, a liquid biopsy company, has come out of stealth mode with a financing of $57 million. The company’s innovative technology focuses on analyzing circulating chromatin to detect genome-wide patterns of gene activation, promotion, and methylation from a mere 1-mL plasma sample. Thought-Provoking Questions/Insights:
The FDA has granted approval to Abrilada, making it the second interchangeable biosimilar to adalimumab. This decision allows Abrilada (adalimumab-afzb, Pfizer) to be substituted for adalimumab (Humira, Abbvie) at the pharmacy level without the need for intervention or notification of the prescribing provider, in states where it’s permitted. The biosimilar is approved for various conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and Crohn’s disease, among others. The FDA’s approval was based on data from the phase 3 REFLECTIONS B538-12 study, which showed similar outcomes between the reference product and Abrilada. Pfizer plans to make Abrilada available by late October, initially…
Robert Schoen, MD, and Dhiraj Yadav, MD — professors at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine — received 2024 Research Mentor Awards from the American Gastroenterological Association. They are among 11 recipients selected as “outstanding mentors” in their respective research sections: clinical practice for Dr. Schoen and pancreatic disorders for Dr. Yadav, according to an Oct. 4 news release from the university. Both professors teach in the school’s division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Teva Pharmaceutical Industries will collaborate with French drugmaker Sanofi to develop a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease it hopes will become a blockbuster drug. Sanofi, a leader in immunology, will invest $1.5 billion in the development of Teva’s anti-TL1A drug, the companies said on Wednesday. The drug is still in phase 2 trials, with interim results not expected until the second half of 2024, Phase 3 trials are expected to begin in 2025 and Teva chief executive Richard Francis said the best case scenario for the commercial launch of the drug — which will target both Crohn’s…
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has emphasized the critical need for best practice updates to enhance awareness and treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). The AGA recently published guidance to assist clinicians in the evaluation and management of EPI. The disease is often underdiagnosed, leading to inadequate treatment for many patients. The AGA Institute Clinical Practice Updates Committee reviewed evidence and expert opinions to develop 15 best practice advice statements for EPI diagnosis and management. Key points include the importance of suspecting EPI in patients with high-risk clinical conditions, the use of fecal elastase as the initial test, and the…
GRAIL, LLC, a healthcare company focused on early cancer detection, has unveiled detailed results from its PATHFINDER study on its multi-cancer early detection (MCED) blood test in The Lancet. The study involved 6,662 adults over 50 years without cancer symptoms. It revealed that an earlier version of GRAIL’s MCED test could identify numerous cancer types without current recommended screening tests, facilitated targeted cancer diagnostic evaluations, and achieved diagnostic resolution for most participants in under three months. Deb Schrag, MD, MPH, emphasized the potential of screening for multiple cancers using a single blood sample. The study found that the test’s cancer…