Here are four updates from GI companies and practices over the past week: Investing firm Assured Healthcare Partners partnered with West Long Branch, N.J.-based Allied Digestive Health. Freenome’s novel multiomics blood test for colorectal cancer detected advanced adenomas with a 41 percent sensitivity at 90 percent specificity, according to results from its Ai-Emerge study. A developer is building a pair of medical office buildings in Leander, Texas, that could house an endoscopy center and gastroenterology clinic owned by Austin Gastroenterology.
Author: Praveen Suthrum
Adding bemarituzumab to chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancers improved survival over chemotherapy alone in the phase 2 FIGHT trial. Among 155 patients followed for a median of 10.9 months, the combination of bemarituzumab and modified FOLFOX chemotherapy (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) resulted in a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 9.5 months, compared with 7.4 months with chemotherapy alone.
Diversatek Healthcare received FDA approval for its MiVu Mucosal Integrity Testing System, the first such device on the market. MiVu was granted De Novo classification by the FDA for the safety and efficacy in obtaining measurements of electrical properties within esophageal tissue. According to Diversatek, it is “the only system available to clinicians that provides real-time data of mucosal integrity during routine endoscopy, indicating the existence or probability of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other esophageal pathologies in just two minutes.”
Senna and magnesium oxide improved the frequency of bowel movements in patients with constipation, according to a recent study. It was the top story in gastroenterology last week. Another top story was about the role of capsule endoscopy in colorectal neoplasia screening.
History gives us many reasons to doubt predictions. In 1916, Charlie Chaplin famously called the motion pictures “a fad.” In 1932, Albert Einstein said that nuclear power was not possible. In 2008, Steve Ballmer predicted the iPhone would be a flop. As these cases show, smart people may see the facts, but not the environmental factors that can shift the entire landscape. This was particularly true in 2020, a year that redefined “normal” and altered our world in ways we are only beginning to understand. In this environment, the hard job of accurately predicting future trends became that much more…
The way patients access – or need and want to access – care has been permanently altered. Accenture recently surveyed 2,700 patients and found that 60% said they want to continue meeting with healthcare providers and manage their conditions using technology implemented as a result of COVID-19. Physicians are likewise on board, based on findings published in Gastroenterology. According to that report, 88% of clinicians at a large practice rated video visits as better/as good as face-to-face appointments. Telephone appointments came in at 41% versus in-person appointments.
Healio Gastroenterology presents the following reports on the most recent research in the microbiome. These reports include research on the impact of the microbiome on obesity, asthma and COVID-19. Link between gut microbiome, diet may reduce risk for health problems A healthy diet may be linked with gut microbes that correlate with a lower risk for developing conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a report published in Nature Medicine.
Offering patients a combination of fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) and primary colonoscopy as a sequential or active choice strategy was found to significantly increase participation in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, although increased participation in strategies with FIT was not found to lead to higher detection of advanced neoplasia, according to a study in Gastroenterology.
In this episode of the Small Talk, Big Topics podcast, host Dr. Matthew Whitson speaks with Dr. Laurie Keefer. Laurie is a health psychologist working at Mount Sinai in New York City in the gastroenterology division, and more specifically in the IBD Center. She has published many articles on various topics, but her most prominent focus is resilience. Laurie has written on resilience in patients with chronic illness, and she has also worked on building resilience among trainees and health professionals. Given the current climate in the U.S. with the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, high burnout levels, and a newly invigorated focus on…
2020 was a year like no other …but it’s now time to reimagine gastroenterology Through the ups and downs of COVID-19, 25+ GI leaders shared their fears, triumphs, ideas and insights through the SF podcast. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed their time and perspective. This recap video is our thank-you to the GI community. Keep scoping forward!