The FDA gave the greenlight to use total hip bone mineral density as a validated surrogate endpoint for clinical osteoporosis drug trials, the FDA announced on Friday. https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/osteoporosis/119140

The FDA on Friday approved aficamten (Myqorzo) for symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), drugmaker Cytokinetics announced. https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/chf/119130

Radical change is needed to eliminate health inequities in the U.S., argued experts during the launch of the Bridging Our Divide campaign, hosted by the Institute for Policy Solutions at @hopkinsnursing.bsky.social. https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/equity-in-medicine/119120?trw=no

Among participants in a survey on healthcare expenses, 17.4% and 9.9% said they experienced cost burdens or catastrophic cost burdens at least once over 4 years. @awgaffney.bsky.social www.medpagetoday.com/publichealth...

"The real divide in American medicine is not between clinicians and APPs, but between clinicians and the system they are working within." Read the full #OpEd from internist Ryan Nadelson, MD, at: https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/119115?trw=no

"Support should help physicians practice better medicine -- not quietly bind them to organizational structures they don't fully understand." In an #OpEd, Sriman Swarup, MD, writes on physician autonomy and healthcare employment. https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/119110?trw=no

"Navigating [the holidays] requires a skill set no textbook ever covered." In an #OpEd, nursing student Caroline Rubin breaks down how to survive the holidays as a healthcare professional in an era of medical misinformation. https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/119111?trw=no

What we heard this week ⬇️ #MedSky "Parents are going to be very scared for no reason to get the COVID-19 vaccine." -- Flor Munoz-Rivas, MD, on confusing federal vaccine recommendations in light of a new CDC report that showed kids' COVID shots reduced ED visits. www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...

"Fixing that mismatch -- by stabilizing payment and embracing telehealth for routine cataract follow-up -- is a concrete way to protect both patients' vision and the future stability of their care." Read the #OpEd at: https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/119085?trw=no

A model that combines a host biomarker with a generative AI analysis of electronic medical records may improve the diagnosis of LRTIs, such as pneumonia, in critically ill patients, according to an observational cohort study. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/pneumonia/119072

In this large retrospective cohort study of primary biliary cholangitis patients, UDCA treatment was linked with lower incidence of breast and gastrointestinal cancer. https://www.medpagetoday.com/gastroenterology/generalhepatology/119108

In a randomized trial, both 100-mg and 300-mg monthly maintenance doses of extended-release buprenorphine improved opioid abstinence in patients with high-risk opioid use, with no new safety signals. https://www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/opioids/119069

"It raises an important question about the future of cognitive autonomy: What aspects of thinking are we willing to delegate, and what must remain ours?" Read more at: https://www.medpagetoday.com/popmedicine/popmedicine/119084?trw=no

Higher intake of high-fat cheese and cream in midlife was tied to a lower risk of subsequent dementia, a 25-year study in Sweden showed. Read more at: https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/dementia/119071?trw=no

American guidance on recommendations for the management of adult congenital heart disease has been updated. https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/generalcardiology/119089

HHS announced on Thursday a series of actions aimed at eliminating gender-affirming care for youth. However, representatives from the medical community strongly pushed back on the HHS actions. https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/healthpolicy/119093

A higher and less frequent dose of aflibercept (Eylea) was noninferior to the standard dose for the treatment of PCV in patients with neovascular ("wet") AMD, according to a post hoc analysis of the randomized PULSAR trial. https://www.medpagetoday.com/ophthalmology/generalophthalmology/119109

Proton radiotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer matched conventional photon therapy for slowing disease progression and led to better overall survival with less toxicity, a prospective randomized trial showed. https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/othercancers/119106

The FDA approved depemokimab (Exdensur) as the first ultra-long-acting biologic with twice-yearly dosing approved for patients with severe asthma with an eosinophilic phenotype, GSK announced. https://www.medpagetoday.com/allergyimmunology/asthma/119054

'A Disgrace': HHS plans to remove a number of recommended vaccines from the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule early next year and create a lineup that mirrors Denmark's slimmer schedule, according to multiple news outlets. @pauloffit.bsky.social www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/v...

Manufacturing victimhood is one way to evade academic standards I guess? My take on why student fragility is hostile to good medical education @medpagetoday.com #medsky #ou #tpusa #samanthafulnecky #KKG www.tiktok.com/t/ZTrtSrSTu/

Researchers have raised concerns about an unusual federal grant made to Danish researchers to study the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose in Africa. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/hepatitis/119103

Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt recently made headlines after suffering from a partially collapsed lung following a dry needling treatment at a team training facility, raising concerns for those unfamiliar with the procedure. https://www.medpagetoday.com/popmedicine/cultureclinic/119091?trw=no

President Trump on Wednesday evening suggested that he had helped to decrease drug prices by more than 100%, a mathematically impossible feat. A 100% discount would mean drugs are free, beyond that would mean drug companies are paying customers to take their products.

The dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) was just as cardioprotective as the GLP-1 drug dulaglutide (Trulicity) in patients with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a large trial showed. https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/prevention/119074

The number of concierge and direct primary care practices in the U.S. rose sharply in recent years, as did the number of clinicians providing such care, researchers found. Read more at: https://www.medpagetoday.com/primarycare/generalprimarycare/119066?trw=no

"As much as we wish otherwise, that moment will come for many of us." In an #OpEd, emergency physician and Brown University parent Dara Kass, MD, shares lessons on how to navigate one's child being in an active shooter situation. https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/119064?trw=no

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will pay $15 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by making materially false statements and certifications related to NIH research grants, the DOJ announced. https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/othercancers/119062?trw=no

HHS terminated seven grants totaling millions of dollars to the @ameracadpeds.bsky.social, which has been a prominent critic of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his policies. www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/g...

The Samantha Fulnecky controversy highlights the importance of keeping medical standards high, according to psychiatry resident @chloenazra.bsky.social. Read the #OpEd: www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...

The FDA approved a label change for the birth control shot depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera), which now warns about the risk of meningioma, according to a letter posted on the agency website on Friday. Read more at: https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/braincancer/119061?trw=no

Claims that Lyme disease escaped from a government lab are flatly contradicted by decades of scientific evidence -- despite what federal regulators have claimed recently, experts say. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/generalinfectiousdisease/119053?trw=no

The married owners of several wound care companies in Arizona were sentenced to roughly 15 years in prison for their role in a scam involving false and fraudulent claims billed to Medicare and other insurance companies. Read more at: https://www.medpagetoday.com/geriatrics/medicare/119045?trw=no

The CDC has formally adopted a recommendation from its vaccine advisory panel to stop recommending #hepatitisB vaccination for every newborn at birth. An @ama-assn.org trustee warned that the change will have dire consequences. ⬇️⬇️ www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/v...

"Prices must come down, but how we get there matters. A lot." In his column 'Prescriptions for a Broken System,' Adam Brown, MD, MBA, explores the impact of 'Most Favored Nation' pricing on rural healthcare. https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/prescriptionsforabrokensystem/119052?trw=no

The FDA on Friday announced approval of zoliflodacin (Nuzolvence) as an oral treatment for gonorrhea, a day after approving oral gepotidacin (Blujepa) for the same indication. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/stds/119026

The FDA approved niraparib and abiraterone acetate (Akeega) in combination with prednisone for treating BRCA2-mutated metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer, the agency announced on Friday. https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/prostatecancer/119017

The FDA approved trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd; Enhertu) in combination with pertuzumab (Perjeta) for the first-line treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/breastcancer/119027

The FDA approved lerodalcibep (Lerochol) injections for the treatment of elevated LDL cholesterol in adults, maker LIB Therapeutics announced. https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/dyslipidemia/119050

Decades-old fears of heart risks from eating saturated fats appeared to have been overblown for many individuals, according to a meta-analysis of randomized trials. https://www.medpagetoday.com/primarycare/dietnutrition/119032

Six specific midlife depression symptoms were linked with higher dementia risk, according to prospective data. https://www.medpagetoday.com/geriatrics/dementia/119029

After finding abnormalities on low-dose CT lung cancer screening, many patients don't get the recommended level of follow-up care, a Medicare-linked registry analysis showed. https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/lungcancer/119025

The FDA expanded the approval of flibanserin (Addyi), a drug that treats low sexual desire in women, to now include some postmenopausal women, drugmaker Sprout Pharmaceuticals announced on Monday. @drmaryclaire.bsky.social @rachrobertson.bsky.social www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/menopa...

While most cannabis retailers recommended women not use blunts or tobacco while pregnant, about one in five suggested prenatal cannabis use was safe, according to a cross-sectional study of California retailers. Read more at: https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/pregnancy/119022?trw=no

A smartphone-delivered digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention improved generalized #anxiety disorder symptoms in adults, a randomized trial showed. www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/a...

"It may take a long time to reverse this formidable attack on centuries of hard-earned public health knowledge and loss of faith in the experts by electing representatives committed to rebuilding public health." Read the #OpEd at: https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/119020?trw=no

In a meta-analysis, rates of postpartum hemorrhage and severe postpartum hemorrhage were markedly higher with the use of objective versus subjective blood loss assessment methods, suggesting that its prevalence has been underestimated. https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/pregnancy/119021?trw=no

The FDA approved etripamil (Cardamyst) nasal spray for at-home treatment of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/arrhythmias/119016

The FDA expanded the indication of inebilizumab (Uplizna) to include generalized myasthenia gravis, Amgen announced Friday. https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/generalneurology/118998

Andexanet alfa (Andexxa) will officially be taken off the U.S. market this month as an emergency reversal medication for contemporary blood thinners. https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/fdageneral/119001