Gale Scott

The United States Senate has confirmed the contentious nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. The vote was 54 to 45, and mostly followed party lines.

Gorsuch, a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver was President Donald Trump’s choice to hold the seat vacated when Antonin Scalia died.

As a Conservative voice on the court, Gorsuch will likely have sway on several health issues, including reproductive rights, end-of-life care and assisted suicide, and transgender issues. Gorsuch has written a book opposing physician-assisted suicide.

But even if he opposes abortion, as long as Justice Anthony M. Kennedy continues to support the essential outline of the constitutional right to abortion established in 1973 in the 

 case, adding a new justice likely wouldn’t make a significant difference, advocates have noted.

In approving Gorsuch, the GOP overcame staunch Democratic opposition, resorting to the so-called “nuclear option” by voting to eliminate filibuster as a mechanism to block court appointments.

The court vacancy itself came with controversy. Former President Barack Obama had been blocked from filling the seat beccause the GOP majority refused to hold confirmation hearings on that nominee Merrick Garland, chief judge of the United State Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Trump’s influence on the court will likely not end with the Gorsuch  confirmation.

Justice Ruther Bader Ginsburg, 83, Justice Kennedy, 80, and Justice Stephen Breyer, 78, could step down.

In the event Trump is called to replace 1 of these 3 justices, there would likely be a 5-justice Conservative majority.

In his presidential campaign, finding a Supreme Court justice with Scalia's views was a key pledge, Trump has said.

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Gorsuch on SCOTUS: likely to influence many health policies.  

Judge Neil Gorsuch Confirmed by Senate

	An experimental monoclonal antibody drug to treat a rare form of inherited high cholesterol received breakthrough therapy designation from federal regulators.

	Regeneron announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given that status to evinacumab to lower cholesterol in patients with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH).

	The drug inhibits angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3). ANGPTL3 acts as an inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase and endothelial lipase, and appears to play a central role in lipoprotein metabolism, the company said.

	Among current treatments for HoFH are cholesterol-lowering PCSK9 inhibitors. Regeneron makes one of those--alirocumab (Praluent)--and is currently engaged in a patent dispute with Amgen, which makes a rival PCSK9 drug in evolocumab (Repatha).

	Regeneron previously reported positive interim phase 2 results for evinacumab in HoFH patients and is currently planning a phase 3 trial.

	HoFH is the most severe form of hypercholesterolemia. While rare, occurring in approximately 1 to 2 people per million, untreated patients can have LDL cholesterol levels ranging from 500 to 1000 mg/dL, compared to normal LDL cholesterol levels of less than 130 mg/dL. Due to these high levels of LDL cholesterol, patients with HoFH are at an extreme risk of premature cardiovascular disease. Without treatment, patients typically present with signs and symptoms of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease before the age of 20.

	In its phase 2 trial involving a small group of HOFH patients and controls got the drug for 4 weeks. The mean reduction in LDL-C in the patients who got the drug was 55% at the primary endpoint.

	The company reported the new designation in a news 

	Regeneron’s phase 2 results are reported

Breakthrough status for a new drug to treat familial hypercholesterolemia.

High Cholesterol Drug Advances

	The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved deutetrabeazine tablets (Austeo/Teva) for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease.

	The drug controls the involuntary movements of the illness, but does not cure the underlying cause.

	It also does not treat the other symptoms of Huntington’s disease, such as problems with thinking or emotions.

	It’s safety in children is not known, according to the FDA.

The drug's efficacy was established in a study of 90 ambulatory patients with the disease.

During 12 weeks of treatment patients taking the drug improved 4.4 units on a chorea symptoms score compared to 1.9 units in the placebo group. The treatment effect was statistically significant, the FDA said.

The product is not recommended if patients are taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, have liver problems, or are taking reserpine.

Side effects include depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal actions.

Teva Pharmaceuticals is based in North Wales, Pennsylvania.

A drug to help Huntington's symptoms got the FDA's nod.

Author | Gale Scott

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