Hematology
Conference Coverage
NFIX could be a target for sickle cell therapy
ORLANDO – Preclinical research suggests it may be a fetal hemoglobin repressor.
Conference Coverage
Fragmentation of sickle cell disease care starts in young adulthood
ORLANDO – Imagine what that would be like to have a chronic, debilitating illness and to have to go to multiple different hospitals, during this...
News from the FDA/CDC
FDA approves Oxbryta for sickle cell disease treatment
The drug, which is approved for adults and children aged 12 years and older, improved hemoglobin in the HOPE trial.
Feature
Survey: Cancer-related pain, opioid use up since 2018
Almost half of patients with cancer did not use anything to manage related symptoms, according to an ASCO poll.
News from the FDA/CDC
FDA approves anemia treatment for transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia patients
Luspatercept-aamt (Reblozyl) is approved for adults with beta thalassemia who require regular red blood cell transfusions.
News
U.S. deaths from preventable causes occur more often in rural areas
In 2017, 21.7% of cancer deaths in the most rural counties were potentially preventable, compared with 3.2% in the most urban counties.
Feature
NIH seeks gene-based cures for HIV, sickle cell disease
The agency is collaborating with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the $200 million, 4-year project.
From the Journals
Global blood supply runs low
Worldwide, more than 60% of countries had an inadequate supply of blood to meet the demand for transfusion.
News from the FDA/CDC
FDA approves rivaroxaban for VTE prevention in hospitalized, acutely ill patients
The latest approval is based on results from the phase 3 MAGELLAN and MARINER trials, which included more than 20,000 patients.
From the Journals
Rivaroxaban trends toward higher thrombotic risk than vitamin K antagonists in APS
Patients who took rivaroxaban experienced almost two times as many thrombotic events as patients who took dose-adjusted vitamin K antagonists.
Feature
Readmission burden high for those with sickle cell disease
SCD more than doubles the risk of 30-day readmission, compared with non-SCD stays.