Learning more about the signs, symptoms, and treatments of this neuromuscular disorder can help patients and caregivers make better health management decisions. Key takeaways: SMA affects infants, children, and adults SMA has four classifications based on how early it appears and the level of...

Do you have asthma and live near a busy road? If so, you may be one of those whose genetic profile means you are more susceptible to severe asthma symptoms exacerbated by traffic pollution… Around 26 million people in the US suffer from asthma, the equivalent to one in 13 Americans, but new...

Methylphenidate drugs, of which Ritalin (methylphenidate hcl) is probably the most well known, is the safest and most effective medication for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a recent study concluded.  Published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal, the study...

Using a combination of statins and alirocumab to treat patients with diabetes and a history of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) may significantly reduce their risk of further cardiac events, according to the analysis of a recent clinical trial.  People with a history of ACS, which includes heart...

GlaxoSmithKline’s once-daily triple therapy, the Trelegy Ellipta (fluticasone furoate, umeclidinium, vilanterol), is superior to dual combination therapies in reducing exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with a history of exacerbations, new research...

Adult diabetes may fall into five different categories rather than type 1 and type 2 diabetes, according to new research. A study conducted by researchers at Lund University in Sweden found new classifications for diabetes, each with their own distinct genetics and characteristics. It is hoped the...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added a new warning to clarithromycin labels in light of a clinical trial which concluded the antibiotic increases the risk of death years later in patients with heart disease. Under the new recommendations, the drug should not be prescribed to patients...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now formally recommends Shingrix (zoster vaccine recombinant, adjuvanted) as the vaccine of choice against shingles. It is only the second shingles vaccine to gain US Food and Drug Administration approval; the first was Merck’s drug...

Over the next four years, more than $22 million in grants have been awarded for clinical trials and research into treatment for patients with rare diseases, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced. In a statement released by the regulatory body, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD,...

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Sanofi has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FGA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Cemiplimab (REGN2810) as a treatment for adults with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) and adults with locally advanced and unresectable...

A combination therapy used to reduce the chances of HIV infection in adult patients is safe for adolescents, a new study by the National Institutes of Health network suggests. Truvada (tenofovir, emtricitabine) is a single pill combination drug currently approved as a pre-exposure prophylaxis...

Many medications are available for treating type 2 diabetes, but intensive lifestyle management could hold the key to controlling blood sugar levels, according to a recent clinical trial. The results of the study conducted in Denmark suggest adding "intensive" lifestyle management to traditional...

The drug Actemra (tocilizumab) is a more effective treatment for giant cell arteritis than steroids, a recent study has shown. The results of the trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) revealed more than half (56 percent) of patients treated weekly with Actemra saw sustained...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned antibiotic resistance is making gonorrhea harder to treat, suggesting a heightened need to develop new antibiotics. It brought together data from 77 countries around the world, which revealed the common sexually transmitted disease (STD) is...

A Phase III OlympiAD trial of Lynparza (olaparib) tablets for treating patients with HER2-negative gBRCA-mutated metastatic breast cancer has yielded positive results with a "statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in progression-free survival". Pharmaceutical firm...

The US Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to approve a medication to treat patients whose cancer has a specific genetic feature, or biomarker, has been hailed as an "important first" in the fight against the disease. Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is a monoclonal antibody already in use to...

Osteoarthritis of the hands is likely to affect up to four in ten people during their lifetime and obesity may increase the risk of developing the condition, a new study has found. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 30 million people across the...

A new antibody test to improve diagnosis of prostate cancer has been launched by pharmaceutical firm Roche. Prostate cancer accounts for 15 percent of cancer cases diagnosed in men. It occurs in the prostate glands of males and symptoms include difficulty urinating and blood in the urine or semen....

People with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have different brain structures from those without the condition, a recent study suggests. Researchers found certain key areas of the brain were a smaller volume among patients with ADHD than those measured in people without the condition....