Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
HealthDay: New Migraine Drugs Cut Headache Days With Fewer Side Effects
In a large new review, published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers analyzed 43 clinical trials involving adults with chronic migraine, defined as headaches on 15 or more days a month. The strongest evidence pointed to a newer class of medications called CGRP-targeted therapies, according to the results. These drugs were shown to reduce monthly migraine days by about two and were generally well tolerated. (5/5)
MedPage Today: Can Migraine Drugs Guard Against Glaucoma? CGRP Inhibitors Show Promise
People who used calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitor drugs to prevent migraine had a lower risk of glaucoma, a retrospective study showed. (George, 5/6)
MedPage Today: Ketamine Quickly Reduced Suicidal And Depressive Symptoms, Meta-Analysis Suggests
Ketamine infusion rapidly reduced suicidal and depressive symptoms among patients with a major depressive episode, according to findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis. (Firth, 5/6)
The Washington Post: A Promising New Therapy For Depression Focuses On Finding Paths To Joy
Depression treatments focus mostly on decreasing negative emotions. But a study finds that increasing positive ones might be more effective. (Penman, 5/6)
HealthDay: Head Impacts May Disrupt Gut Health Even Without Concussion
Hard hits taken by football players jar more than just their brains, a new study says. Head impacts appear to disrupt players’ gut microbiome, the colony of bacteria and organisms in the GI tract that help regulate inflammation, digestion and many other body processes, researchers reported May 6 in the journal PLOS One. Even impacts that didn’t cause symptoms of concussion shook up players’ gut bacteria, researchers found. (Thompson, 5/7)
HealthDay: Every 1,000 Steps After Surgery Cuts Complication Risk, Study Finds
People recovering from surgery have an easy way to boost their odds of a successful recuperation — take a stroll. Every extra 1,000 steps a patient takes daily after surgery lowers their odds of complications, researchers reported May 6 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. (Thompson, 5/7)
