Medical News

The FDA has approved baricitinib as a therapy for severe alopecia areata, following extremely positive findings from trials confirming the hair regeneration potential of a popular arthritis medicine. The medicine will now be the first FDA-approved therapy for systemic treatment of the condition, and will come in the form of a daily tablet, which has shown great promise in recent Phase 3 trials.

Baricitinib is a medicine that was initially created to treat rheumatoid arthritis, but it has lately piqued the curiosity of scientists looking for remedies for another inflammatory illness known as alopecia areata. This disorder affects over 300,000 people in the United States each year and causes patchy hair loss due to immune system assaults on hair follicles. There were no FDA-approved therapies for the illness prior to today.

Scientists began looking at baricitinib’s potential to treat alopecia areata on the basis that it might disrupt the signalling pathways that damage hair follicles. Results from Phase 3 studies involving over 1,200 persons with the disease published in March revealed that almost one-third of them were able to regrow their hair by taking four-milligram capsules of baricitinib each day. Meanwhile, two-milligram dosages improved scalp hair covering in nearly a fifth of individuals.

Approval to first systematic treatment of Alopecia

The medicine, which will be offered under the brand name Olumiant by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, has now met the FDA’s safety and effectiveness standards, allowing the agency to approve it as the first in-disease systemic therapy for alopecia areata. That is, the medicine will be accessible in 1-, 2-, and 4-milligram daily dosages based on treatment response, rather than particular sites.

“Today marks a milestone with the first-ever FDA-approved systemic treatment for alopecia areata patients, who face significant challenges every day, including limited public knowledge about the disease, a lack of treatment options and social stigma,” a daily quoted Nicole Friedland, president and chief executive officer, National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF). “The approval of Olumiant can spark hope for many patients and encourage new treatment conversations with their doctors. NAAF wants more choices for our patient community and with the approval of Olumiant, there are now new treatment expectations being established in alopecia areata care.”

Olumiant is a JAK inhibitor that operates by inhibiting the activity of one or more enzyme families. It should not be used with other JAK inhibitors. Common side effects include respiratory tract infections, headaches, acne, and weight gain, and it’s worth mentioning that 2.2 percent of individuals dropped out of the clinical trial programme owing to unpleasant occurrences.

“Access to safe and effective treatment options is crucial for the significant number of Americans affected by severe alopecia,” said Kendall Marcus, M.D., director of the Division of Dermatology and Dentistry in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Today’s approval will help fulfill a significant unmet need for patients with severe alopecia areata.”

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According to a study published in JAMA Network Open by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers, obtaining a medical marijuana card (MMC) to use cannabis products to treat pain, anxiety, or depression symptoms led to the onset of cannabis use disorder (CUD) in a significant minority of people while failing to improve their symptoms. Researchers discovered that those seeking treatment from anxiety and depression were more likely to acquire addicted signs of CUD, implying the need for tighter controls over the dispensing, usage, and professional follow-up of persons who lawfully access cannabis through MMCs.

“There have been many claims about the benefits of medical marijuana for treating pain, insomnia, anxiety and depression, without sound scientific evidence to support them,” says lead author Jodi Gilman, PhD, with the Center for Addiction Medicine at MGH. “In this first study of patients randomized to obtain medical marijuana cards, we learned there can be negative consequences to using cannabis for medical purposes. People with pain, anxiety or depression symptoms failed to report any improvements, though those with insomnia experienced improved sleep.” Particularly disturbing to Gilman was the fact individuals with symptoms of anxiety or depression — the most common conditions for which medical cannabis is sought — were most vulnerable to developing cannabis use disorder. CUD symptoms include the need for more cannabis to overcome drug tolerance, and continued use despite physical or psychological problems caused by the cannabis.”

As of December 2021, 36 states and the District of Columbia have commercialised the use of “medical” cannabis for a variety of health problems through medical marijuana cards. These cards require the written approval of a licenced physician, who is typically not the patient’s primary care provider but a “cannabis doctor,” who may provide authorization to patients with only a cursory examination, no recommendations for alternative treatments, and no follow-up under the current system. Indeed, the medicinal marijuana sector operates outside of the regulatory framework that governs most medical areas.

“Our study underscores the need for better decision-making about whether to begin to use cannabis for specific medical complaints, particularly mood and anxiety disorders, which are associated with an increased risk of cannabis use disorder,” says Gilman. Regardless of the specific health condition for which cannabis is sought, Gilman believes that regulation and distribution of cannabis to people with medical marijuana cards must be greatly improved. “There needs to be better guidance to patients around a system that currently allows them to choose their own products, decide their own dosing, and often receive no professional follow-up care.”

Source: Massachusetts General Hospital

A researcher has developed a tiny window that allows investigators to get clearer, long-term imaging of the brain’s visual network.

Bilal Haider is studying how multiple areas of the brain work together for visual perception. This could help researchers understand if neural activity “traffic jams” underlie all kinds of visual impairments: from running a red light when visual attention is elsewhere, to shedding light on the autism-affected brain.

The two-day Uniportal Robotic Surgery Workshop began today. This novel technique is being performed for the first time in India at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad. Uniportal Robotic Surgery involves robotic arms performing the surgery through a single 3 cm incision made in the chest. It’s a boon for performing critical and complex cardiothoracic surgeries with greater efficiency and precision coupled with the best possible outcomes. These surgeries being minimally invasive, bring down the rate of post-surgical complications, mortality, infections and hospital stay drastically. Uniportal robotic surgery is being performed in select European countries currently and Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, is the only facility in south east Asia, with expertise to perform this high-end surgery.

The team of cardiothoracic surgeons at Apollo Hospitals, led by Dr Manjunath Bale, Consultant Robotic and Minimal Access Surgeon, Apollo Health City; is performing the first ever Uniportal Robotic Surgery in the country, in collaboration with Dr Diego Gonzalez Rivas, Robotic and Vats Surgeon from Spain. Dr Rivas pioneered the procedure in September 2021 in Spain and since then he performed it in many countries.

In Uniportal Robotic Surgery, a single minor incision is made between the ribs to insert the camera and instruments into the patient’s chest, instead of ripping open the chest with a large incision as is done in a conventional cardiothoracic surgery. The surgeon has a crystal clear, magnified vision of the interior of the patient on a screen and performs the surgery using specialized instruments. The robot has a master slave model which moves in synchrony with the surgeon’s movements on the console and replicates the movements inside the human body, Dr Diego Gonzalez Rivas.

Cardiothoracic surgeries are considered the most risky of all with high rate of post-surgical mortality. Uniportal Robotic procedure ushers in a new era and transforms the way thoracic surgeries are performed. Its surgeon and patient friendly, brings in unmatched precision and unrivalled outcomes, says Dr Manjunath Bale.

The new procedure can treat several pleural and lung conditions including the most complex surgeries which carried high quotient of risk hitherto with conventional surgery. This procedure presents multiple advantages with much better outcomes. For surgeons the robot enables better control and manoeuvrability of surgical instruments, magnified visibility through 3D view and easy access to the operating area through supple robot instruments, resulting in high precision outcomes. From patient’s perspective, each of the chest space has nerves, when multiple spaces are opened for surgery, several nerves are mutilated leading to in intense and prolonged pain, as in an open surgery. A single incision will reduce the number of injured nerves hence is less painful. This minimally invasive surgery reduces hospital stay and expedites recovery due to diminishing complication risks and substantially reduces chances of catching infection. All this enables the patient to avoid long bouts of trauma and get back to work and his normal routine quickly.

Dr Ravindra Babu said, this is a milestone procedure for us, technology has been making immense difference to medical treatment, to benefit patients by reducing trauma from surgery, speed up recovery and reduce hospital stay. This procedure involves making one single aperture, so the trauma is very little for the patient despite undergoing a major surgery. The robot brings about precision in surgery, minimal blood loss, minimal tissue damage enables quick recovery and minimises hospital stay. This technology is now available here in Hyderabad.

Dr Mugurel Bosnceanu, said, this is the first such procedure in Asia and therefore a historical moment. Robotic is no more future, it is today’s technology, and it is now available at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.

Leading thoracic surgeons and pulmonologists from across the country participated in the workshop.

Apollo Hospitals Group has announced a unique collaboration with ‘8chili Inc’ to enable engagement in the metaverse, in the first-of-its-kind initiative. Virtual reality will provide an immersive experience that has been proven to increase patient engagement and skill mastery for hands-on training.

Patient counselling pre/post-operation in virtual reality will help increase patient outcomes by bringing generic environments filled with relaxing “narratives” that will induce control over one’s own body and physiological response. It will also engage the users in virtual reality-mediated activities to empower their abilities to regulate emotion. This personalized approach to every patient will help result in higher patient satisfaction.

“At Apollo Hospitals we are constantly exploring ways to enrich and expedite the healthcare community, and the patient experience. Virtual Reality (VR) will change how both these things are done. 8chili is a leader in the VR space and we are excited to work with them to integrate VR solutions into our care continuum.” said Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman Apollo Hospitals on this collaboration.

On this association Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals said, “People learn best by doing which is why healthcare is a natural fit for immersive VR training. Findings support the equivalence and superiority of VR training, the time to skill mastery, and the economic savings compared to traditional methods. Our need to train healthcare professionals to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of care effectively and efficiently just keeps growing. We strongly believe 8chili’s platform helps us deliver VR immersive training at scale and efficiencies”

“From the beginning, our focus has been to deliver a platform that makes it easier for organizations to tap into the full potential of the metaverse. HintVR™ is an end-to-end platform to manage your metaverse strategy helping in original 3D content creation, metaverse customization, and also delivery of this content across various metaverse real estates. We are very excited about working with Apollo Group Hospitals as this allows us to deliver the immersive experience to the millions of patients they serve.” said Mr. Aravind Upadhyaya, Founder, and CEO, 8chili.