Timely Insights for Healthcare Experts
Greater Adherence to Healthful Plant-Based Dietary Patterns Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
A data analysis of 9 studies from 7 publications totaling to 307, 099 participants with 23,544 cases of incident type 2 diabetes showed a significant inverse association between people who adhered to a plant-based dietary pattern and risk of type 2 diabetes compared...
Stop Using Aspirin For Routine Primary Prevention of ASCVD
Low-dose aspirin has been recommended and used for decades for prevention of ASCVD. It is well established for SECONDARY prevention of ASCVD, however, recent studies have shown aspirin should not be used for routine PRIMARY prevention of ASCVD due to lack of benefit....
CRP Testing For Patients with Exacerbation of COPD in Primary Care Led to Fewer Antibiotics with No Evidence of Harm
New study shows C-reactive protein (CRP) testing in primary care clinics for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) reduces patient-reported antibiotic use or receiving antibiotic prescriptions for exacerbation of COPD with no evidence of harm....
Another Study Shows Sugary Drink Consumption is Significantly Associated with Risk of Overall Cancer, and Breast Cancer
According to the NutriNet-Sante prospective cohort study of 101,257 participants with the mean age of 42 and a medium follow-up of 5 years, sugary drinks like soda and fruit juices show a significant association of risk of overall cancer, and breast cancer....
Excess Antibiotic Treatment for Hospitalized Patients with Pneumonia has been Associated with Patient-Reported Adverse Events
According to a report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine by the American College of Physicians, there is no benefit from antibiotic treatment exceeding the shortest effective duration when treating hospitalized patients with pneumonia. Excess days were...
Dispensing Oral Contraceptive Pills More Cost Effective & Supportive for 12-month Over 3-months
In a report published July 8, 2019 in JAMA Network, dispensing oral contraceptive pills 12-months rather than 3-months saves money and provides better support for women’s reproductive goals and autonomy. The study was done to estimate the financial and reproductive...
Significant Association of Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) and Risk of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH).
A recent study published in the American Academy of Neurology observed a significant association between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) risk. The current cohort study included 96,043 participants with the...
FDA Approves New Treatment for HSDD in Premenopausal Women
FDA approves bremelanotide (Vyleesi, AMAG Pharmaceuticals) to treat acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal women. Bremelanotide is the first-in-class melanocortin 4 receptor agonist for HSDD, and joins Flibanserin as...
FDA Approves First Treatment for Episodic Cluster Headache that Reduces the Frequency of Attacks
Emgality (gacanezumab-gnlm) solution has been FDA approved for treatment of episodic cluster headache in adults, the first of its kind. Emgality was approved in 2018 to prevent migraines in adults, and now has shown to reduce the frequency of cluster headache attaches...
New Indication for Zerbaxa (ceftolozan & tazobactam) Battles Antimicrobial-resistant Infections
The U.S. FDA approved a new indication for Zerbaxa (Ceftolozane and tazobactam) for the treatment of hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABD/VABP) in patients 18 years and older. This approval addresses the threat of...
First P13K inhibitor for Breast Cancer Gets FDA Approved
Pigray (alpelisib) tablets have been FDA approved to treat breast cancer in combination with FDA-approved endocrine therapy fulvestrant. Pigray is approved for postmenopausal women, and men, with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2...
Novel FDA Drug Approvals: February-May 2019
Every year, the US FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) releases a list of newly-approved novel drugs and therapeutic biological products. Last year's Novel Drug Approvals list holds the record for the most number of approved drugs, effectively...
NEW Stroke Systems of Care Recommendations: What You Need to Know
The American Stroke Association released improved recommendations for stroke systems of care to improve patient outcomes. It aims to extensively review of the current evidence evaluating these systems, and provide updates for policymakers and public healthcare...
Breakthrough Non-Drug ADHD Treatment Gets FDA Approval
Children living with attention hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may soon experience non-pharmacologic relief through a breakthrough medical device. For children between the ages 7 and 12 and currently not on medication, the pocket-sized device works by delivering mild...
CDC Update: E. Coli O103 Outbreak Is from Ground Beef
Update to PEPID Pulse “E. Coli O103 Outbreak Investigation in Five States” on April 5 , 2019 The CDC has narrowed the Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia Coli (E. Coli) O103 outbreak to ground beef. The total number of people infected has increased to 109 people...
New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Recommend Discussing a Mammography Earlier
The American College of Physicians (ACP) issued new guidance statements on breast cancer screening for asymptomatic women of average-risk. This issue follows a thorough review and inclusion of the following existing guidelines and associated evidence: American...
2nd Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History Not a Global Health Concern, WHO Panel Decides
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is battling to contain the 10th deadly wave of the Ebola virus to sweep the nation. As of April 14, the outbreak has logged 1,198 confirmed infected cases and 768 confirmed fatalities. WHO officials are monitoring the outbreak...
2019 Officially Second Highest Record of Measles Since Elimination
Update to Pulse Alert: Second Highest Record of Measles Since Elimination, 6 Outbreaks within U.S. As of April 4, 2019, 465 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 19 states. This year officially marks the second highest number of individual cases of...