News & Updates

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, with recurrent hospitalizations often marking a challenging phase in the patient journey. For patients, being discharged is not the end of their treatment journey. While discharge from the hospital represents an important milestone, long-term management is essential to reduce the risk of clinical deterioration and improve survival.¹

Carvedilol, a beta-blocker recommended as part of guideline-directed treatment for heart failure. Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) refers to the combination of evidence-based medicine recommended to improve outcomes for patients with HFrEF. Current treatment generally centers on four key pillars: an angiotensin receptor–neprilysin inhibitor (ARNi), a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA), and a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) and a beta-blocker such as carvedilol. Together, these therapies work through different pathways to help reduce symptoms, slow disease progression, lower the risk of hospitalization, and improve survival.

Use of statins in the primary prevention setting yields a substantial reduction in the risk of major cardiovascular events in community-dwelling adults at least 70 years of age, as shown in the STAREE trial.

Individuals with multiple exposure to extreme heat and substantial fire-sourced air pollution (SFAP) are at greater risk of cardiovascular mortality than those with single exposures, a study has found.

Financial toxicity (FT) exists and is not uncommon among adult cancer survivors, potentially contributing to further decline in quality of life (QoL), according to a Singapore study. Moreover, those of lower socioeconomic status are particularly at risk of FT.

Use of SGLT-2 inhibitors among patients with cirrhosis helps prevent portal hypertensive complications and improve survival, suggests a study.

An intervention that incorporates scheduled vibrator use with an educational handout helps improve outcomes in women with sexual dysfunction and pelvic floor disorders, as shown in a randomized controlled trial.

Real-world data from patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) treated with first-line durvalumab plus cisplatin and gemcitabine across 12 countries/regions show similar survival outcomes between those who would not be eligible for the TOPAZ-1 trial and results reported in the durvalumab arm of TOPAZ-1, with no evident increase in toxicity.

Higher adherence to the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet scores from baseline significantly enhances global cognitive function in community-dwelling adults, a study has shown.

In postmenopausal women undergoing primary prolapse surgery, perioperative treatment with vaginal oestrogen is associated with improvements in patient-reported outcomes and pelvic floor-related quality of life, as shown in a multicentre study.