News & Updates

Timely treatment of patients at risk for severe COVID-19 prevents severe outcomes

Despite widespread uptake of vaccinations, COVID-19 remains a serious health issue for high-risk patients, owing to the emergence of new variants of concern (VOCs), waning immunity, and breakthrough infections.

At a recent symposium in Singapore, esteemed experts Dr Asok Kurup, Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, Singapore, and Dr Alex Soriano, Head of Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona and Assistant Professor, University of Barcelona, Spain, gave insights on the evolution of global trends since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed key challenges in managing high-risk patients with COVID-19 in the ICU. They also highlighted early treatment strategies to minimize the burden of COVID-19 on healthcare systems.

Ivermectin of no benefit in mild-to-moderate COVID-19

The use of ivermectin in the treatment of outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 falls short of improving time to recovery when compared with placebo, a study has shown.

Could a pembro + CRT combo improve outcomes in locally advanced head and neck SCC?

Combining pembrolizumab with chemoradiation therapy (CRT) showed a trend toward improved event-free survival (EFS) compared with CRT alone in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), primary results of the phase III KEYNOTE-412 trial showed.

Adherence to management low, waning in aortic aneurysm patients

Patients with aortic aneurysms show “very low” adherence to medical management, which also differs by subtype and declines over time, reveals a study.

4-percent AET best predictor of PPI discontinuation

An acid exposure time (AET) of 4.0 percent is a reliable prognostic marker of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy discontinuation, a study has shown. In addition, 96 hours of monitoring works better than 48 hours in predicting PPI cessation.

Higher SBP-TTR linked to reduced risks of adverse kidney, CV events in hypertension

In adult patients with hypertension, higher time-in-target range (TTR) for systolic blood pressure (SBP) appears to be associated with lower risks of unfavourable kidney and cardiovascular events, according to a study.