Robert Stott

Eight years ago, Ocaliva was a prospective lifesaver for patients with primary biliary cholangitis who failed to adequately respond to first-line ursodeoxycholic acid. However, the once-promising drug now finds itself struggling to deliver.

PHILADELPHIA — On-demand vonoprazan effectively reduced heartburn symptom severity in patients with nonerosive reflux disease within 1 hour of treatment, according to data presented at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting. “On-demand treatment for nonerosive reflux disease is suitable primarily for patients who do not have a high frequency of heartburn,” Ronnie Fass, MD, MACG,

PHILADELPHIA — A “high prevalence” of extremity repetitive use injury symptoms were reported among endoscopists, which negatively affected performance, according to a presenter at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting. “A [2015] ASGE survey reported that 78% of endoscopists had an extremity repetitive use injury, or ERI,” Daryl Ramai, MD, MPH, MSc, an advanced endoscopy

PHILADELPHIA — Iqirvo demonstrated significant biochemical response and alkaline phosphatase normalization in patients with both early- and advanced-stage primary biliary cholangitis, according to late-breaking data presented here. “Elafibranor — a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonist — has demonstrated significant biochemical response in 51% vs. 4% of

PHILADELPHIA — Zymfentra as monotherapy was no more effective when combined with immunosuppressants for maintenance therapy in patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, according to post-hoc analysis presented here. “[Zymfentra] is a subcutaneous form of infliximab, which has shown superior efficacy over placebo for maintenance therapy up to 1 year in patients

PHILADELPHIA — An AI model achieved high accuracy in detecting and distinguishing between cystic and solid pancreatic focal lesions during endoscopic ultrasound procedures, according to data presented at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.“Pancreatic focal lesions, either cystic or solid, are commonly found in imaging exams,” Miguel Mascarenhas, MD, PhD, from the University

PHILADELPHIA — None of the top 25 insurers in the United States offer explicit policy coverage for primary or revisional endoscopic bariatric therapies, according to data presented at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.“While lifestyle interventions have yielded transient and modest effect sizes, surgical interventions [for obesity] have produced the largest effects; however, surgeries

The long-stagnant primary biliary cholangitis drug market has seen renewed attention in the past 3 months with the addition of two FDA-approved therapy options as well as a costly ruling from an FDA advisory committee. Although ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) remains the only first-line treatment for PBC, the number of patients who fail to adequately respond with UDCA or cannot tolerate its use has

Healio will present its seventh annual Disruptive Innovators Awards for gastroenterology and hepatology this fall. Individuals who have changed the face of the specialty and pushed the status quo toward betterment of the field will be recognized during a prestigious awards ceremony at the ACG Annual Meeting, scheduled for October 25-30 in Philadelphia.

Jun 17, 2024 ... In a Healio video exclusive, Edward V. Loftus Jr., MD, highlighted that the first step in building an LGBTQ-friendly gastroenterology ...

WASHINGTON — Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists significantly reduced alanine aminotransferase levels in pediatric metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, especially those with type 2 diabetes, researchers reported. “The study was prompted by my interest in the use of anti-obesity medications in the treatment of MASLD,” Jennifer A. Panganiban, MD,

WASHINGTON — Oral antibiotic use among adult patients was not associated with increased risk for early-onset colorectal cancer, according to data presented at Digestive Disease Week. “The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer is increasing over the past 3 decades; however, little is known about what may be driving this increase in early-onset CRC,” Jeffrey K. Lee, MD, MPH,

Without prompt reform of Medicare reimbursement, which has failed to keep pace with the rising operation costs of rheumatology practice, rheumatologists may have no choice but to opt out of the Medicare program, noted Christina Downey, MD.“When rheumatologists don’t participate in Medicare, it closes access to a large swath of the population,” Downey, the chair of the

Topline results from the phase 3 STARS trial showed apraglutide reduced dependency on parenteral support for adult patients with short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure at week 24, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals announced. The company noted that apraglutide, an investigational long-acting synthetic glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) analog, was “generally well tolerated” with a safety

The FDA has granted orphan drug designation to Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ olezarsen, an investigational ligand-conjugated antisense drug for the treatment of familial chylomicronemia syndrome, according to a company release. A rare genetic hyperlipidemia, familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) is characterized by extremely elevated triglyceride levels and increased risk for recurrent acute

The FDA has granted 510(k) clearance to Nanox’s HealthFLD artificial intelligence software to aid clinicians in the detection of fatty liver associated with hepatic steatosis, according to a company press release. The HealthFLD software is intended to support early detection of liver steatosis by providing physicians with automated qualitative and quantitative assessment of liver

The FDA has approved Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ Eohilia as the “first and only oral therapy” for treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis in patients aged 11 years or older, according to a press release. The agency had denied Takeda’s new drug application for Eohilia (budesonide oral suspension) for this indication in 2021, citing only that it could “not be approved in

The FDA has granted breakthrough device designation to Amadix’s PreveCol, a blood test for early detection of colorectal cancer, intended to screen adults aged 45 years or older without apparent symptoms, according to a company release. Amadix noted that it is the first European company to receive recognition from the FDA for the efficacy of its blood test in the detection of precancerous

The FDA has granted de novo clearance to AnX Robotica for its “groundbreaking” artificial intelligence-assisted reading tool to aid in small bowel capsule endoscopy procedures, according to a company release.With this clearance, AnX Robotica’s NaviCam ProScan is the first AI-assisted reading tool intended to support endoscopy reviewers in identifying patients with suspected

The FDA has granted 510(k) clearance to EndoSound for its Vision System, a novel endoscopic ultrasound device that attaches to upper gastrointestinal endoscopes, according to a company release.Previously granted FDA breakthrough designation in July 2021, the EndoSound Vision System (EVS) is a supplemental device, consisting of an ultrasound beamformer, reusable transducer and disposable mounting