The Top 10 Stories of June 2017

As we near the end of June this week, here's a look back at MD Magazine's 10 most popular stories of the month:

1. FDA Requests First-Ever Removal of Painkiller from Market

For the first time, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that a pharmaceutical company remove an opioid pain medication from the market due to the public health consequences of its abuse.

2. Newly Uncovered Data May Explain Alemtuzumab Side Effects

Omitted data revealed why Lemtrada's treatment of multiple sclerosis could leave patients susceptible to secondary autoimmune conditions.

3. Four Methods for Reducing HIV Risk in Intravenous Drug Users​

A recent study found that programs could have prevented 43,000 HIV infections over 20 years.

4. New Diabetic "Sugar Sponges" Could Replace Insulin Injections

Sugar Sponges could absorb and expel sugar in blood as needed, according to a recent study in Shanghai, China.

5. Study Finds Link Between Alzheimer's, Bipolar Disorder, and HCV

Researchers have uncovered that bipolar disorder patients with Alzheimer's have a 2.3-fold increased chance of having been diagnosed with HCV.

6. FDA Plans Workshops to Discuss Opioid Regulation​

The decision to hold public meetings was made by recently appointed commissioner Scott Gottlieb a week after the FDA requested its first removal of a painkiller from the market.

7. EMDAC Recommends Liraglutide's Approval to Reduce CV Risk in T2D Patients

An independent committee agreed that Novo Nordisk’s liraglutide (Victoza) injections decrease the risk of heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes, but some members of the panel recommended that the drug's indication be limited only to T2D patients who had established cardiovascular disease.

8. US Liver Cancer Mortality Rates Double Since 1980s​

Mortality rates from liver cancer have doubled since the mid-1980s, making it the fastest-growing cause of US cancer deaths, a study by the American Cancer Society has found.

9. Diabetes Decreases Brain Cancer Risk

Despite evidence showing that diabetes increases the risk of several other types of cancer, a study published in Scientific Reports has shown that diabetic patients are at a decreased risk of glioma, one of the most common types of brain cancers.

10. Teriflunomide Holds Its Own Against Increasing MS Competition

An analyst explains why the proven RRMS drug fares well among wider competition.