News & Updates

Wearable tracker fails to ease flares in SpA, but physical activity helps

A wearable activity tracker used to boost physical activity has fallen short of reducing flares and improving performance or quality of life (QoL) of patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA), results of a randomized control trial have shown.

Tryptophan, IPA levels tied to lower mortality in coronary artery disease

Levels of indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a microbiota-produced tryptophan metabolite, and plasma tryptophan appear to contribute to a reduced risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), reveals a prospective study.

Original New Drug Application Approvals by US FDA (16 - 31 October 2022)

New drug applications approved by US FDA as of 16 - 31 October 2022 which includes New Molecular Entities (NMEs) and new biologics. It does not include Tentative Approvals. Supplemental approvals may have occurred since the original approval date.

Low-carb diet lowers glucose in absence of medication

A low-carbohydrate dietary intervention helps with glucose control in individuals with elevated HbA1c but not taking glucose-lowering medications, as shown in a study.

Does having a pet in early childhood reduce the risk of mental illness in adolescence?

Having a pet dog or cat during early childhood is associated with a reduced risk of mental illnesses in adolescence, a retrospective cohort study in the US has shown.

RNA nanoparticle as novel agent for atherosclerosis treatment

Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have developed a novel RNA nanoparticle that can target and treat atherosclerotic plaques without inducing severe toxicity, paving the way for the use of RNA nanotechnology in cardiovascular disease (CVD) management.

Challenges in the diagnosis and management of multidrug-resistant gram-negative infections: Real-world evidence and experience

The diagnosis and treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria in critically ill patients present many clinical challenges. Selection of appropriate antibiotic therapy in a timely manner requires patients’ comprehensive medical history, updated local knowledge of microbiological epidemiology, efficient use of diagnostic tools, and balancing of information from clinical trial data, real-world evidence (RWE), and guidelines.

In a symposium Pfizer organized in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Intensive Care Symposium (APICS), Professor David Paterson from the National University of Singapore discussed the importance of RWE in the antibiotic armamentarium, using ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI, Zavicefta^®) as an example. Dr Asok Kurup, Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, Singapore, explained how rapid diagnostics can guide treatment choices to improve patient outcomes in MDR gram-negative infections.