logo
US FDA advisers vote against Otsuka's PTSD combination treatment

US FDA advisers vote against Otsuka's PTSD combination treatment

Yahoo18-07-2025
(Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's panel of independent advisers on Friday voted against the efficacy of Otsuka Pharma's drug when used in combination with Viatris' Zoloft for the treatment of adults with PTSD.
The panel voted 10-1 to say the available data does not establish the efficacy of the drug, brexpiprazole, in combination with Zoloft for treating the condition.
PTSD, a disorder caused by very stressful events, affects about 4% of U.S. adults and is commonly associated with war veterans. But natural disasters, abuse or other trauma may also trigger the condition in civilians.
The recommendation comes after the FDA's staff reviewers on Wednesday raised efficacy concerns over the use of the combination therapy, citing inconsistent trial results and a modest treatment effect.
Solve the daily Crossword
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Extra: How A ‘Fentanyl Father' Turned His Grief Into Activism
Extra: How A ‘Fentanyl Father' Turned His Grief Into Activism

Fox News

time26 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Extra: How A ‘Fentanyl Father' Turned His Grief Into Activism

While there appears to be some progress in America's war on fentanyl, overdose deaths related to the synthetic drug remain alarmingly high, especially among young people. President Trump recently signed the HALT Fentanyl Act, expanding law enforcement's ability to crack down on traffickers. Gregory Swan lost his son, Drew, to a fentanyl overdose in 2013. Since then, he has co-founded Fentanyl Fathers and devoted his life to raising awareness about the lethal drug. Gregory recently spoke with FOX News Rundown host David Anthony to share his personal story, discuss the HALT Fentanyl Act, and explain how he is working with families to help them avoid the loss he and so many other parents have felt. We often have to cut interviews short during the week, but we thought you might like to hear the full interview. Today on Fox News Rundown Extra, we will share our entire interview with Gregory Swan, allowing you to hear more about how he turned his grief into activism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

Tennessee school won't accept doctor's notes for absences
Tennessee school won't accept doctor's notes for absences

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Tennessee school won't accept doctor's notes for absences

(NewsNation) — One Tennessee school district will no longer accept doctors' notes to excuse an absence despite objections from parents. Lawrence County School System officials said the school is instituting the policy to teach students work ethic and reliability, saying that students will be expected to go to work sick or injured as adults. It is also intended to address chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10 percent or more of instructional time. In the 2023-2024 school year, Lawrence County had a 14 percent rate of chronic absenteeism. With no federally mandated sick leave, many Americans do go to work when sick, but public health officials advise against it. Staying home when sick can reduce the spread of viruses like the flu and COVID-19 and protect vulnerable people in the community. The new attendance policy says students will simply be marked absent or present, with no options for doctors to verify a child is absent because they are sick or injured, need to stay home to recover or to prevent spreading contagious illnesses to their classmates. The policy is meant to help improve attendance rates, but parents have objected, noting that an absence for an illness like the flu could now mean a referral to the Lawrence County Juvenile Court for truancy. Children who get sick at school or are sent to school sick and sent home by a nurse will be counted as tardy. Three tardies will equal an absence. The new policy also says schools will start intervention after just three days, and eight or more days marked absent will result in a court referral. Other penalties could include failing a class or grade, not being allowed to participate in graduation or get a driver's license or permit. There will be exemptions for students with documented chronic illnesses and emergencies out of the student's control, as well as allowances for deaths in the family and some religious observances. The school district sent a letter to medical providers asking them to emphasize regular school attendance and warning that medical notes could imply students should stay home even after their health improves. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword

Breakthrough as two FDA-approved drugs are found to reverse Alzheimer's — including restoring memory
Breakthrough as two FDA-approved drugs are found to reverse Alzheimer's — including restoring memory

New York Post

timean hour ago

  • New York Post

Breakthrough as two FDA-approved drugs are found to reverse Alzheimer's — including restoring memory

In a stunning scientific discovery, researchers have found that a pair of drugs can not only slow down Alzheimer's disease but actually reverse it and restore memory in mice. And the best part of all? Both are already FDA-approved — albeit for cancer. Researchers first pinpointed how Alzheimer's disease scrambles gene activity in individual brain cells. 3 Researchers have found that a pair of drugs can not only slow down Alzheimer's disease but actually reverse it and restore memory in mice. Pixel-Shot – Using the Connectivity Map database of 1,300 FDA‑approved drugs, the researchers looked for medications that reverse Alzheimer's‑associated gene expression — landing on a shortlist of five, and zeroing in on two cancer drugs. In what one researcher called a 'mock clinical trial,' they then mined 1.4 million patients' medical records, finding that those who had taken letrozole or irinotecan for cancer were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's. When given together in an aggressive Alzheimer's mouse model, letrozole — used to treat certain types of breast cancer in postmenopausal women — and irinotecan — an anti-cancer medication used to treat colon cancer and small cell lung cancer — reversed disease‑related gene expression signatures, dissolved toxic tau protein clumps and prevented brain degeneration. Most importantly, they restored memory and learning in mice that had already developed severe symptoms. It's an exciting development for an illness that's notoriously tricky. 3 Letrozole — used to treat certain types of breast cancer in postmenopausal women — and irinotecan — an anti-cancer medication used to treat colon cancer and small cell lung cancer — reversed disease‑related gene expression signatures, dissolved toxic tau protein clumps and prevented brain degeneration. Eric Hood – 'Alzheimer's disease comes with complex changes to the brain, which has made it tough to study and treat, but our computational tools opened up the possibility of tackling the complexity directly,' Marina Sirota, the interim director of the UCSF Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, said in a statement. 'We're excited that our computational approach led us to a potential combination therapy for Alzheimer's based on existing FDA-approved medications.' 'Alzheimer's is likely the result of numerous alterations in many genes and proteins that, together, disrupt brain health,' said Yadong Huang, a professor of neurology and pathology at UCSF. 'This makes it very challenging for drug development — which traditionally produces one drug for a single gene or protein that drives disease.' 3 'Alzheimer's is likely the result of numerous alterations in many genes and proteins that, together, disrupt brain health,' said Yadong Huang, a professor of neurology and pathology at UCSF. yurakrasil – The findings were published in the journal Cell. Both drugs are already FDA‑approved for other uses, which could dramatically speed up the path to human trials. However, because they are cancer drugs, repurposing them may be complex and risky. This finding adds to a growing number of potential Alzheimer's treatments. A compound found in rosemary and sage — carnosic acid — has been shown to reverse memory loss and reduce brain inflammation in mice with Alzheimer's, bringing their cognitive function back to near-normal levels. A study from Stanford Medicine found that seniors who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over seven years. And researchers at Penn State and Stanford University discovered that a certain cancer drug could restore memory and brain function in early stage Alzheimer's models.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store