Welcome to Impact Factor, your weekly dose of commentary on a new medical study. I’m Dr F. Perry Wilson of the Yale School of Medicine. If you run into a healthcare provider these days and ask, “How are you doing?” you’re likely to get a response like this one: “You know, hanging in there.” You smile and move on. But it may be time to go a step further. If you ask that next question — “No, really, how are you doing?” Well, you might need to carve out some time. It’s been a rough few years for those of…
Author: Abhay Panchal
Mayo Clinic and Microsoft have announced a collaboration where Mayo Clinic will be among the first health systems to deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot, a generative AI platform. This partnership is part of the Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program. The program allows Mayo Clinic’s clinicians and staff to test AI technology that integrates large language models with Microsoft 365 apps such as calendars, emails, chats, and documents. The aim is to enhance productivity and reduce the administrative tasks that divert attention from patient care. Mayo Clinic believes that these generative AI applications can assist its medical professionals in automating tasks…
Intercept Pharmaceuticals, a company that once led the race for a NASH drug, is set to be acquired by Italian firm Alfasigma for $794 million. Alfasigma will pay $19 per Intercept share, marking an 82% premium over Intercept’s closing stock price prior to the announcement. Intercept’s primary asset, obeticholic acid, was approved by the FDA in 2016 as a treatment for primary biliary cholangitis under the brand name Ocaliva. The company had hoped that the drug could also treat NASH, a more common liver disorder. However, after the FDA rejected its application twice, Intercept decided to halt its NASH efforts…
Harbinger Health, a company focused on early cancer detection, has secured a significant funding of $140 million in a series B financing round. The company is developing a range of liquid biopsy tests and a software program to analyze blood samples for early signs of cancer. The funding was led by Flagship Pioneering, which had previously brought Harbinger out of stealth in 2021, and saw participation from new investors including Pictet, Partners Investment, and M&G Investments’ Catalyst fund. Key Insights:
Dr. Aasma Shaukat, a gastroenterologist and researcher in colon cancer screening, discusses the conflicting colorectal cancer (CRC) screening recommendations. The American College of Physicians (ACP) recently proposed CRC screening starting at age 50, using fecal occult blood-based testing every 2 years, and flexible sigmoidoscopy every 10 years or colonoscopy every 10 years. This contrasts with other major guidelines, which recommend initiating screening at age 45. The discrepancy arises from differing interpretations of the same evidence, with some emphasizing the rising CRC incidence in those under 50, while others point to the lack of randomized controlled trials for this age group.…
Amazon’s healthcare initiatives can combine Anthropic models with existing healthcare LLMs to integrate AI into healthcare initiatives like Amazon Clinic, One Medical and Pillpack.
Patients with confirmed nonerosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are not at greater risk for esophageal cancer compared with the general population and are unlikely to need additional endoscopic monitoring for cancer, new research suggests. By contrast, patients with erosive disease had more than double the incidence of esophageal cancer. “We expected a less-strong association with cancer among patients with nonerosive GERD compared to those with erosive GERD, [and] the results do make sense in view of the fact that the nonerosive GERD patients had normal esophageal mucosa at endoscopy,” Jesper Lagergren, MD, PhD, of Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, told Medscape…
Dr. Kambiz Kadkhodayan, a gastroenterologist at the Orlando-based AdventHealth Center for Interventional Endoscopy, has successfully performed the world’s inaugural “Candy Cane” endoscopic procedure. The patient, Rene Galloway, a former emergency room nurse, had previously undergone nine surgeries over the past 13 years. Due to her medical history, she was deemed a less favorable candidate for additional surgeries. The “Candy Cane” procedure involves: Dr. Kadkhodayan performed the entire procedure without making any incisions. He expressed his satisfaction with the results, noting that four other patients have since undergone the procedure with similar success. He stated, “I can’t tell you how rewarding…
New guidelines suggest that women should be offered take-home kits to screen for cervical cancer, aiming to reduce discrimination in healthcare. As provinces transition away from Pap smears, which involve a doctor collecting cervical cells to detect early signs of cancer, a newer HPV test is being introduced. This test detects high-risk types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and is offered to those aged between 25 and 65 every five years. Self-swabs for HPV, likened to at-home COVID-19 tests, could significantly enhance early detection. Dr. Aisha Lofters, a scientist and family physician, believes that at-home HPV testing can help overcome…
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who resumed infliximab treatment after using a biosimilar faced a threefold increased risk of discontinuing the treatment over time due to an unwanted response. This observation was made in a study conducted by Rosanne W. Meijboom and her team from the Pharmacy Foundation of Haarlem Hospitals in the Netherlands. Key Points: Study Background: The research aimed to understand the reasons behind patients reverting from a biosimilar to the original infliximab. While many patients transitioned successfully from the infliximab originator to its biosimilar, about 7% reverted to the originator. Research Methodology: The study, conducted between…