MDNN: MS Myelin Repair, HIV Vaccines, and Asthma Developments

Hi, I’m Jenna Payesko, and this is MD Magazine News Network - it’s clinical news for connected physicians.

The REBUILD Trial, the first randomized clinical trial to explore a way to restore myelin damage in patients with multiple proved successful with an over-the-counter drug, clemastine fumerate, delaying latency by the time of post-hoc analysis. Investigators noted that although further study will be needed, this marked a watershed milestone moment in the quest to find repair-promoting MS drugs.

Despite advancements in HIV treatments and prevention, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease announced that, although possible, it is unlikely that the pandemic will end without the development of a vaccine. This spurred the start of the 90-90-90 program from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, with a goal of getting 90% of the HIV-infected population on ART. If successful, the program could get 73% of the HIV population to undetectable levels.

Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals have reported positive phase 3 trial results for dupilumab as part of a combination therapy for asthma. In the VENTURE trial, dupilumab proved capable of improving exacerbations and lung function in adult patients with uncontrolled asthma. This is the second successful phase 3 trial for the monoclonal antibody as an asthma therapy, and the companies now intend to submit a supplemental biologics license application to the FDA by the end of the year. dupilumab is currently marketed as atopic dermatitis therapy Dupixent.

Data presented at the 2017 Annual CHEST Meeting in Toronto, Canada this week showed that annual asthma-related deaths in elderly patient populations is declining. The Cleveland Clinic-based study looked at mortality data collected by the CDC between 1999 and 2015. According to the results, annual deaths due to asthma in patients aged 65 years or older has dropped 40 percent in that span — making them the only asthma patient age population to lower its mortality rate. The reduction came as a surprise to researchers, as the elderly population is nearly 3 times as likely to suffer from a severe form of asthma versus other age groups.

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I’m Jenna Payesko with MDNN, thank for you watching.