The HCPLive Infectious Disease condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on respiratory health. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease, COVID-19, and more.
May 31st 2024
Using available literature, the review assesses our current understanding of AATD, emerging biomarkers, and the future of drug development.
High Rates of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Likely to Correlate with Poor Survival
Recent research from the University of Michigan Health Systems published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that hospitals with the highest rates of cardiac arrests are more likely to have the poorest survival rates for those cases.
FDA Expands Vibativ Approval to Combat Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia
Citing a need for new therapies to remedy serious diseases acquired in hospitals, the US Food and Drug Administration has expanded approval of Vibativ (telavancin) to treat bacterial pneumonia when alternative drugs aren't appropriate.
Promising Heart Failure Drug Receives ‘Breakthrough' FDA Designation
The US Food and Drug Administration has awarded "breakthrough therapy" status to a synthetic copy of a naturally occurring human hormone for the treatment of acute heart failure (AHF), drug developer Novartis announced today.
FDA Limits Usage, Duration of Hyponatremia Drug Due to Observed Liver Damage Risk
Citing an increased risk of liver injury observed in recent clinical trials, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has limited Samsca (tolvaptan) treatment to 30 days and recommended the oral selective vasopressin V2-receptor antagonist be discontinued in patients with signs of liver disease or symptoms of liver injury.
New Diabetes Management Guidelines Consider Concurrent Conditions
In diagnosing a patient with type 2 diabetes, an endocrinologist or primary care physician may struggle with developing healthy treatment targets when comorbid conditions like obesity and hypoglycemia are at play.
Omega-3 Therapy Vascepa Reduces Triglycerides in Severe Hypertriglyceridemia Patients
As an adjunct to diet and exercise, Amarin's lipid-regulating agent Vascepa (icosapent ethyl capsules) is indicated to reduce triglyceride levels in adult patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia, or very high triglyceride (TG) levels greater than or equal to 500 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
Blood Thinner Brilinta Treats Acute Coronary Syndrome
Approved by the FDA in July 2011, AstraZeneca's Brilinta (ticagrelor tablets) is a twice-daily treatment to reduce the rate of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death in adult patients with acute coronary syndrome.
New Injectable Gel May Prevent Heart Failure After Myocardial Infarction
Bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have deemed a new injectable hydrogel safe and effective for repairing tissue damage caused by myocardial infarction, providing a platform to bring the gel to clinical trials within the next year.
Psychiatrist Proposes New Subspecialty to Treat Patients With Depression and Heart Disease
After finding abnormal elevations of cardiac inflammation in patients with depressive illness (DI), a psychiatrist at Loyola University Medical Center, in Maywood, Ill., has proposed a new subspecialty to diagnose and treat patients with both depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Not Associated With Hypertension in Community Cohort (AJRCCM)
February 1st 2012Research on people recruited randomly from the community suggests that, after adjusting for various demographic, behavioral, and physical characteristics, there is no association between sleep apnea and hypertension.
FDA Approves Drug for Rare Form of Cystic Fibrosis
January 31st 2012The FDA announced today that it had approved Kalydeco (ivacaftor) to treat cystic fibrosis caused by a rare genetic mutation. The drug was approved in just three months under the agency's priority review program and was developed by its manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., with assistance from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Call for Change in Recommendations Concerning Acetaminophen-Asthma Link
December 30th 2011A recently published paper in the medical journal Pediatrics argues that there is finally strong enough evidence for doctors to recommend that infants and children who have asthma or are at risk for the disease avoid acetaminophen.
Lung Cancer Detection, Treatment Measures Featured in Report on Top Advances
December 14th 2011The American Society of Clinical Oncology's list of the top five advances in cancer screening, prevention, and treatment over the last year includes two that address lung cancer: a finding that detection with CT scans leads to reduced lung cancer deaths and the FDA's approval of crizotinib to treat non-small-cell lung cancer in patients whose tumors have a specific mutation.
Asthma Symptoms in Toddlers Treatable without Inhalers
December 1st 2011Children who present with symptoms of asthma, such as frequent wheezing, usually are treated by pediatricians with an inhaled steroid, but a recent study found that treating a wheezing child with a daily dose of an inhaler is no different than giving the child increased levels of the steroid at the beginning of a respiratory tract infection.
GERD-induced Aspiration Appears to Increase Chances of Lung Transplant Failure
November 30th 2011There is strong evidence that GERD-induced aspiration helps to cause lung transplant failure, though more research is needed to identify the underlying pathogenic mechanism of injury to the transplanted organ, finds a recent review of studies on the topic.
ACAAI 2011: Pathogenesis and Subtypes of Chronic Rhinosinusitis
November 10th 2011"The small number of patients that go on to develop chronic rhinosinusitis accumulates to about 15% of the population, making it an important disease," said Dr. Michael A. Kaliner during his lecture on chronic rhinosinusitis.
ACAAI 2011: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Sinusitis/ Rhinosinusitis, Part 2
November 9th 2011Although categorizing chronic rhinosinusitis is complex, CRS with or without nasal polyps is one way to initially begin classification. Prolonged duration of RS symptoms (>8-12 weeks) is the primary reason to evaluate patients for CRS. Dr. Meltzer emphasized the need to differentiate CRS from recurrent episodes of ARS.