Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists Find Possible Biomarker That Could Help Diagnose Progressive MS
Medical Xpress: Potential Biomarker Linked To Multiple Sclerosis Progression And Brain Inflammation
A new University of Toronto-led study has discovered a possible biomarker linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression that could help identify patients most likely to benefit from new drugs. The findings were published today in Nature Immunology and validated in both mouse models and humans. (1/2)
The Washington Post: Quest For A Drug That Lowers Lipoprotein(A) Levels Nears Finish Line
A fatty particle can clog arteries just as surely as cholesterol but often goes undetected, striking seemingly healthy people unaware of the danger. Though tests are widely available, they aren’t routinely ordered — in part because there are no approved treatments for the genetic disorder. Now, cardiologists waging a campaign against lipoprotein(a) say they are reaching a turning point. Five experimental drugs are in late stages of development and aim to prove that lowering levels of Lp(a) — pronounced “L-P-little-A” — reduces heart attacks and strokes. Results from the most advanced clinical trial are expected in the first half of 2026. (Gilbert, 1/2)
Stat: Genetic Variant Appears To Protect Against Blood Cancers
Over time, hematopoietic or blood stem cells can quietly acquire mutations that push them to divide just a little more aggressively, creating a larger group of clones in the bone marrow. In a fraction of people with this phenomenon, called clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential — CHIP, for short — these cells can transform into cancers such as leukemia, though most will remain benign. (Chen, 1/1)
NBC News: Can A Mammogram Detect Heart Disease? What To Know About Breast Calcium Deposits
Breast arterial calcifications are calcium buildups within the breast arteries that may be associated with heart disease. Mount Sinai is conducting a behavioral study to understand how women react to being notified about the arterial calcifications with their mammogram results. (Leake and Herzberg, 1/3)
Medical Xpress: Tangled Scar Tissue May Set Stage For Dangerous Placenta Condition
Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) used to be a rare pregnancy condition, but it now affects roughly 14,000 pregnancies annually, posing a major cause of maternal death. Yet why it happens is still not well understood. Placenta accreta occurs when the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall, and doesn't detach after birth, often resulting in life-threatening bleeding and a need for a hysterectomy. (1/3)
Medical Xpress: Costs Pose Hurdle For Promising New Hepatitis C Lab Test
A new rapid test for hepatitis C could help identify many more patients who could be cured of the deadly disease, but its use may be limited unless insurers' reimbursement rises to cover its high cost, according to researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. (1/2)
Stat: Neuralink's Big Vision Collides With Reality Of Brain Implants
Neuralink recently lured a top official away from the Food and Drug Administration office that regulates the company, a poaching that has surprised, impressed, and infuriated its competitors in a fledgling industry developing brain-computer interfaces. (Broderick, 1/5)
In other pharma and health industry news —
KFF Health News: To Knock Down Health-System Hurdles Between You And HIV Prevention, Try These 6 Things
A couple of years ago, Matthew Hurley got the kind of text people fear. It said: “When was the last time you were STD tested?” Someone Hurley had recently had unprotected sex with had just tested positive for HIV. Hurley went to a clinic and got tested. “Luckily, I had not caught HIV, but it was a wake-up call,” they said. That experience moved Hurley to seek out PrEP, shorthand for preexposure prophylaxis. The antiretroviral medication greatly reduces the chance of getting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. (Dyer, 1/5)
KFF Health News: Advertisements Promising Patients A ‘Dream Body’ With Minimal Risk Get Little Scrutiny
Lenia Watson-Burton, a 37-year-old U.S. Navy administrator, expected that cosmetic surgery would get rid of stubborn fat quickly and easily — just as the web advertising promised. Instead, she died three days after a liposuction-like procedure called AirSculpt at the San Diego office of Elite Body Sculpture, a cosmetic surgery chain with more than 30 offices across the U.S. and Canada, court records show. (Schulte, 12/31)
