Study finds lifestyle factors that could harden arteries

medicalxpress | May 06, 2019

A new study from the University of Georgia pinpoints lifestyle factors that could lead to hardened arteries. One of the largest of its kind, the study performed an untargeted metabolomics profile of over 1,200 participants of the Bogalusa Heart Study to identify metabolites linked to the hardening of arteries. Hardening arteries, or arterial stiffness, is an independent risk factor for heart disease and death, and the mechanisms that contribute to arterial stiffening are not well understood. That's where metabolomics can help pull back the curtain on how and when arterial stiffness begins to occur.

Spotlight

Most medications can be labeled as “one-size-fits-all.” We use the same drugs at the same doses and frequencies as others. Although practical, this is not ideal and might lead to undesired responses.

Spotlight

Most medications can be labeled as “one-size-fits-all.” We use the same drugs at the same doses and frequencies as others. Although practical, this is not ideal and might lead to undesired responses.

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMACY MARKET

Shields Health Solutions and Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Partner to Enhance Specialty Pharmacy Services for Pediatric Care

Shields Health Solutions | March 17, 2023

Shields Health Solutions (Shields), the premier specialty pharmacy accelerator in the country, announced that it has partnered with Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware, to collaborate in developing a specialty pharmacy program that will provide patients with complex, chronic conditions access to specialized pharmacy services designed to lower costs, expand treatment options, enhance medication management, and improve overall health. Shields will provide Nemours Children’s Health new support services through its partnership to meet the unique needs of patients with complex chronic conditions. Now, specialty pharmacy liaisons will work with patients on-site in clinics, offices, and pharmacies, among other locations, guiding patients who fill their prescriptions with Nemours Children’s. These liaisons work with teams of experts to assist patients and families with a multitude of tasks, including health insurance prior authorizations or securing financial assistance to help overcome one of the significant barriers to care. These expanded patient support services, combined with access to recently approved and newly available drugs, will give Nemours’ patients greater availability for onsite treatment options. Shields currently partners with nearly 80 health systems around the country and has helped their patients reduce co-pays, promptly receive medication delivery, often within two days, and improved medication adherence greater than 90 percent on average. Nemours Children’s Health is one of the largest multistate pediatric health systems in the country and provides award-winning care to more than 38,000 specialty patients. The complete health system includes two free-standing children's hospitals and a network of more than 70 primary, specialty and urgent care practices. US News & World Report ranked Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware among the 10 best children’s hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region and recognized Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida for excellence in orthopedics and endocrinology. “Nemours’ commitment to outstanding care for children with chronic diseases aligns with Shields core mission,” said Stephen Davis, Senior Director of Health System Strategy. “Specialty pharmacy services provide challenges for all patient populations, but pediatric patients have unique needs that require tremendous support. We are proud to provide that support for patients at Nemours Children’s Health and help them achieve the best possible health outcomes.” “As Nemours Children’s Health works toward creating the healthiest generations of children, it is imperative to address social determinants of health including access to medications that are affordable, said,” said Robert J. Mullen, BS, PharmD, RPh, Vice President, Patient Operations, Delaware Valley, at Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware. “Specialty pharmacy services can cause many challenges for the complex patients that Nemours Children’s cares for on a daily basis. We are proud to be partnering with Shields Health Solutions to help ease the burden for families acquiring prescription medication for their children and in turn achieve better health outcomes.” About Shields Health Solutions Shields Health Solutions (Shields) is the premier specialty pharmacy accelerator in the country. The Shields Performance Platform, an integrated set of solutions, services and technology, is intentionally designed to elevate payer and drug access for specialty pharmacies, elevate health outcomes for complex patients, and elevate growth throughout the entire health system. As the foremost experts in the health system specialty pharmacy industry, Shields has a proven track record of success including access to over 80 percent of all limited distribution drugs (LDDs) and most (health insurance) payers in the nation; and a clinical model proven to lower total cost of care by 13%. In partnership with more than 70 health systems across the country through national-scale collaboration, Shields has a vested interest in delivering measurable clinical and financial results for health systems.

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH

Elligo Introduces AI-Driven Clinical Research Study Technology to Expedite Trials

Elligo Health Research | January 25, 2023

On January 24, 2023, Elligo Health Research®, the leading healthcare-enabling research organization, presented the DataAI Connect, a new data and technology platform that will facilitate data-driven, rapid clinical research. DataAI Connect, a scalable, end-to-end data platform, optimizes the clinical research workflow by decreasing human error and rapidly digesting patient data to speed up clinical studies. Elligo has created an industry-first AI-driven platform that sources, processes, analyses, and distributes patient real-world data (RWD) by bringing together data, processes, and clinical expertise. That means an end-to-end solution that solves clinical trial issues directly rather than being an add-on technology. The platform is adaptable and reusable, and it includes the following An RWD repository of electronic health records (EHRs) and clinical data storage that incorporates EHR, clinical trial, and patient data for analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and research A comprehensive medical records retrieval and analytics solution that transforms data into searchable, actionable insights and personalized patient journey information within minutes using NLP, ML, and clinical experience. A data-driven protocol development service that puts designs to the test in the real world. Elligo's Chief Data Officer, Michael Ibara, commented, "The application of AI approaches to healthcare and clinical study data is moving from the moon-shot approach to more practical applications." He added, "An example of this approach is the process of getting patients' medical records, which involves manual, non-scalable activities such as getting accurate information on patients' providers, asking sites to track down records, and having humans triage hundreds of pages of medical records. The judicious and intelligent application of natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML), and other AI approaches increases speed, accuracy and quality, while removing the burden from the sites and patients." (Source – Business Wire) About Elligo Health Research Founded in 2016, Elligo Health Research® is a leading healthcare-enabling clinical research organization. With access to known patients and their HIPAA-compliant healthcare data, its IntElligo® Research Stack technology and eSolutions Research Accelerator PatientSelect approach expedite clinical trials through healthcare. Elligo's Site Solutions, combined with the largest Known Patient Access Network, enable healthcare practices and research sites to engage in clinical studies. Its services expedite the development of novel pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and diagnostic products through the adaptive involvement of known patients and clinicians.

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH

EU Approves Zynlonta for Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma

ADC Therapeutics | January 03, 2023

Sobi® and ADC Therapeutics SA informed that Zynlonta® (loncastuximab tesirine) has recently received conditional marketing authorization from the European Commission (EC) for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma ((DLBCL) that has relapsed or become resistant. The approval comes after the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a favorable opinion in September. Sobi has said that it wants to give Zynlonta, a new treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, to people in the European Union who have this debilitating blood cancer. The approval was granted based on the findings from LOTIS-2, which was a large (n=145), phase 2 multinational, single-arm clinical study of Zynlonta for treating adult patients who had relapsed or refractory DLBCL following two or more prior lines of systemic therapy. Zynlonta was granted accelerated approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration in April 2021. This approval made it the first CD19-targeted antibody-drug conjugate to be used as a single-agent treatment for adult patients who had relapsed or been resistant to two or more lines of systemic therapy for their DLBCL. Sobi announced an exclusive license agreement with ADC Therapeutics to develop and commercialize Zynlonta in Europe and other international markets. The license aims to boost Sobi's presence in hematology, one of its two main disease areas. Besides, Zynlonta will be sold with other Sobi hematology drugs. ADC Therapeutics added that this approval expands Zynlonta's global reach. Zynlonta will fill a critical unmet need for DLBCL patients in Europe. The EU decision applies to Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. According to the terms of the license agreement and as previously communicated, Sobi will pay ADC Therapeutics USD 50 million as a result of the EU's approval of DLBCL. Sobi's clinical development and product supply are handled by ADC Therapeutics. About ADC Therapeutics ADC Therapeutics next-generation, targeted antibody-drug conjugates help cancer patients. With a deep understanding of oncology and an ADC platform that the FDA's approval of Zynlonta has proven, the company is working to meet unmet medical needs and improve outcomes for people with hard-to-treat hematological cancers and solid tumors. ADC Therapeutics' highly skilled global team is committed to fighting cancer with science, bringing targeted therapies and hope to patients and their families.

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