AI-based DR screening yields cost savings, improved access

MONTEREY, Calif. — Alongside improved clinical efficiency and follow-up adherence, AI-based diabetic retinopathy screening yielded positive reductions in cost for patients, according to a poster presentation.
The study, presented at the Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium, aimed to measure the impact of AI-based screening in DR, including its impact on clinical performance and patient economics, “with a focus on standardized cost-effectiveness across healthcare systems,” Sophia Guccione, of UMass Chan Medical School, and colleagues wrote.
The literature review used PubMed, Google Scholar

FDA approves Besremi for adults with essential thrombocythemia

The FDA has approved the first treatment for essential thrombocythemia in nearly 30 years, according to a PharmaEssentia press release.
Ropeginterferon alfa-2b-njft (Besremi, PharmaEssentia Corporation) received approval for adults no matter their genotype or disease status.
The approval expands the agents’ existing product label, which was already commercially available to treat polycythemia vera in adults.
The FDA said in a press release that it based its decision on the randomized SURPASS ET study, which showed significantly improved durable modified European Leukemia Net (ELN) response rates

WALANT hand surgery with surgical pack may be cost effective

Hand surgery performed with wide-awake anesthesia plus “Lean and Green” surgical packs in an office-based procedure room may be safe, cost effective and more environmentally friendly, as well as provide high patient satisfaction.
“Wide-awake surgery with epinephrine has been slow to be adopted by surgeons because we have been told for the past 70 years that we should not use epinephrine in the hand, and that has been disproven. It is safe to use,” Robert E. Van Demark Jr., MD, FACS, FAAOS, FAOA, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, told Healio. “Nobody wants to go to the hospital. Hand

NCI funding more obesity and cancer research over last 10 years

NCI-supported obesity and cancer research has steadily increased over the past decade.
A portfolio analysis revealed NCI funded nearly 350 new grants between 2015 and 2022, most of which focused on mechanisms and/or behaviors.
“Fifteen years ago, few were talking about obesity’s link to cancer. Instead, they discussed obesity as it relates to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes,” Tanya Agurs-Collins, PhD, RD, program director in the Health Behaviors Research Branch of the Behavioral Research Program at NCI, told Healio.
“We have shed light on the importance of obesity as it relates to

Study: COVID-19 unleashes ‘army of dormant viruses’

A nasty bout of COVID-19 can awaken “an army of dormant viruses” lurking inside the body of people who have no known health problems, according to Esther Melamed, MD, PhD.
Melamed, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, and her research team tracked more than 1,000 hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and found that almost half had at least one dormant virus reactivated.
This viral reactivation, Melamed said, could provide much-needed clues into the mysteries of long COVID, the chronic condition that

Direct primary care gains momentum as experts weigh benefits and tradeoffs

Membership-based primary healthcare is becoming commonplace, offering longer visits, more individualized care and lower out-of-pocket costs for certain tests and medications, according to experts.
The American Academy of Family Physicians defines direct primary care (DPC) as an alternative to the traditional fee-for-service insurance billing model, where patients are charged a fee monthly, annually or biannually.
These costs can vary, with monthly fees ranging from $50 to $150 for adults, $20 to $49 for youth and $100 or more for families. This fee covers most or all primary care services,

Taltz, Zepbound combo yields sustained improvement at 1 year in psoriatic disease, obesity

Adults with moderate to severe psoriatic disease and overweight or obesity saw sustained or continued improvement in disease activity at 1 year with tirzepatide plus ixekizumab vs. ixekizumab monotherapy, according to a Lilly press release.
One-year data from the phase 3b, randomized, double-blind, open-label TOGETHER-PsO and TOGETHER-PsA trials build on the previously reported 36-week findings that showed marked improvement in psoriatic disease outcomes and body weight among people who received combination therapy with ixekizumab (Taltz, Lilly), an IL-17A inhibitor, and tirzepatide (Zepbound,

FDA accepts new drug application for dual-mechanism glaucoma dropFDA accepts new drug application for dual-mechanism glaucoma drop

Editor’s note: This is a developing news story. Please check back soon for updates.
The FDA accepted a new drug application for K-911, an investigational eye drop for open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension that has shown promise over standard treatment, according to a press release from Kowa Pharmaceuticals.
The agency set a PDUFA date of April 30, 2027, for K-911, also known as NCX 470. If the drop is approved, Kowa expects a U.S. launch in the second half of next year.
According to Kowa, which licensed the drug from Nicox, K-911 (bimatoprost grenod) is intended to lower IOP through

Catheter ablation for AF does not improve quality of life vs. sham procedure in new trial

MUNICH — In patients with atrial fibrillation, catheter ablation did not improve quality of life at 6 months compared with a sham procedure, according to the PVI-SHAM-AF trial presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.
However, fewer patients in the catheter ablation group had recurrent AF at 6 months compared with the sham group.
The results differ from the SHAM-PVI trial presented at the ESC Congress in 2024 and published in JAMA, which found that catheter ablation improved quality of life compared with a sham procedure.
The PVI-SHAM-AF trial, simultaneously published in The