DIABETICS

British patients beware

The UK drug regulator has cautioned patients being contacted by a manufacturer or other organisations to participate in new insulin delivery system trials. It is crucial people do not suddenly stop using or change their devices without consulting their doctors, it said. Such a switch can lead to hypo/hyper-glycaemia or patients may not get the right dose, risking a life-threatening complication caused by a lack of insulin (diabetic ketoacidosis).

AUTISM

Early intervention is the key

Parents communicating with their child early on can help reduce the severity of autism symptoms, and situation lasts six years post the treatment, too, according to a study published in The Lancet . Reserchers of the University of Manchester, King’s College London, and Newcastle University (UK) found that children who had received intervention aged 2-4 had less severe overall symptoms six years later, with improved social communication and reduced repetitive behaviours, although no changes were seen in other areas such as language or anxiety.

SOFT TISSUE CANCER

USFDA clears new therapy

The US FDA has granted accelerated approval to Lartruvo (olaratumab) with doxorubicin to treat adults with soft tissue sarcoma (STS), which are cancers that develop in muscles, fat, tendons or other soft tissues. Lartruvo is approved for use with the FDA-approved chemotherapy drug doxorubicin for STS patients, who cannot be cured with radiation or surgery and also who have an STS for which anthracycline (chemotherapy) is an appropriate treatment. This is the first new therapy approved by the FDA for the initial treatment of soft tissue sarcoma since doxorubicin’s approval more than 40 years ago, an FDA official said.

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