News &amp; Updates

Does tocilizumab prevent relapse in patients with giant cell arteritis?

Treatment with tocilizumab, an interleukin (IL)-6 receptor antagonist, is effective for corticosteroid sparing in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA), suggests a study. However, tocilizumab allows for a prolonged remission in fewer than half of the patients following treatment discontinuation.

Does tocilizumab prevent relapse in patients with giant cell arteritis?

Pooled analysis boosts guselkumab safety for psoriatic arthritis

23 Sep 2021 by

A pooled safety analysis of two phase III DISCOVER trials demonstrated the favourable safety profile of the novel interleukin(IL)-23p19-specific monoclonal antibody guselkumab through 1 year for psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Pooled analysis boosts guselkumab safety for psoriatic arthritis

Dual therapy confers no survival gains in advanced renal cell carcinoma

Dual therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors does not appear to prolong overall survival as compared with sunitinib alone for advanced renal cell carcinoma patients with favourable risk, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

Dual therapy confers no survival gains in advanced renal cell carcinoma

Doxycycline not recommended for COVID-19 outpatient treatment in older adults

Daily treatment with doxycycline did not shorten recovery time or reduce hospitalization or death in community-dwelling older adults with COVID-19, according to a study from the PRINCIPLE Collaborative Group.

Doxycycline not recommended for COVID-19 outpatient treatment in older adults

22 Sep 2021

Kids with asthma who are obese respond poorly to ICS

Children with asthma are less likely to respond to inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) if they also happen to obese or overweight, suggests a study presented at ERS 2021.

Kids with asthma who are obese respond poorly to ICS

Sintilimab-chemo a new first-line treatment alternative for GI cancers?

Interim results of two phase III ORIENT trials presented at ESMO 2021 underscore the potential of a combination regimen comprising the PD-1 inhibitor sintilimab and chemotherapy (CT) as a first-line therapeutic alternative for gastrointestinal cancers, particularly advanced, recurrent, or metastatic oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and gastric/gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma.

Sintilimab-chemo a new first-line treatment alternative for GI cancers?

COVID-19 booster gets FDA panel backing for 65 and up; blanket use shot down

Advisers to the US FDA* unanimously voted for emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster dose in people 65 years and older and those at high risk of severe COVID-19.

COVID-19 booster gets FDA panel backing for 65 and up; blanket use shot down

BP target in older Chinese: How low can clinicians go?

Under 130 mm Hg – that’s how low clinicians can go in terms of systolic blood pressure (SBP) to reduce cardiovascular events in older, hypertensive Chinese patients, suggests the multicentre STEP* trial.

BP target in older Chinese: How low can clinicians go?