March 13, 2018 The retail giant has stayed quiet about its pharma ambitions; however, a Goldman Sachs analyst in August 2017 outlined some potential pharmaceutical strategies the company might use. Now, Leerink Partners has published a report saying the category-killer is in talks with mid-size Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs) “in an effort to get into various … Read more
March 08, 2018 Lymphatic vessels have the ability to wrap around tumors and weave through them, thereby allowing cancer cells to leave the primary site and spread throughout the body. However, in patients being treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors like Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Yervoy and Opdivo, those same vessels enhance the power of cancer-killing T cells, … Read more
March 06, 2018 The Massachusetts Eye and Ear team studied metabolites, or small molecules in the blood of patients with early, intermediate and late-stage AMD, as well as from individuals without AMD. “The metabolome — the set of metabolites present in an individual — is thought to closely represent the true functional state of complex diseases,” … Read more
March 01, 2018 Like humans, monotremes — platypus and echidnas — produce GLP-1 in their gut. The hormone triggers insulin secretion, which lowers blood glucose levels; however, in people, it breaks down in less than two minutes, making it of little use for controlling blood sugar in patients with Type 2 diabetes. The researchers, from the … Read more
February 27, 2018 Some antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin, work by blocking platelets’ production of thromboxane, a chemical that causes them to stick together, forming a clot. Another type of antiplatelet drug targets glycoproteins IIb/IIIa and is based on a different protein present in snake venom. While these drugs can be lifesaving for patients at … Read more
February 22, 2018 The main toxic ingredients in fire ant venom are called solenopsins. Structurally, these chemicals closely resemble ceramides, which are molecules that help maintain the skin’s barrier against foreign invaders. Ceramides are used in some skin products; however, they are not always beneficial, said Jack Arbiser, a Professor at the Emory School of … Read more
February 20, 2018 The incident occurred when the company’s pharmacy benefits management arm, CVS Caremark, mailed pharmacy benefit information to approximately 4,000 members of one of its clients, Ohio’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program, according to a statement from CVS Health. The mailings included a reference code for the assistance program — PM 6402 HIV — … Read more
February 15, 2018 In their petition, representatives from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, National Safety Council, Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, American College of Medical Toxicology and Coalition to End the Opioid Epidemic urged the FDA that the risks of ultra-high dose opioids (UHDU) aren’t worth “modest” benefits. Citing potential for misuse … Read more
February 13, 2018 The app, dubbed BilliScreen, uses computer vision algorithms and machine learning algorithms to detect jaundice in a photo of a person’s eyes. Specifically, it measures elevated levels of bilirubin in the sclera, the white part of the eye. Jaundice, an early symptom of pancreatic cancer and a number of other diseases, is … Read more
February 08, 2018 Sixty-five percent (65%) of girls and 56% of boys received at least one dose of the HPV shot in 2016, according to the CDC. However, only 43% of teens completed the schedule. The Agency maintains more work needs to be done to further boost HPV vaccination rates. Rates lagged in rural areas … Read more