WESTON, Fla. – There’s new hope for people living with a disease that leads to progressive liver damage
The FDA recently approved the first ever drug for a serious condition that goes by the acronym’s MASH and NASH which Dr. Bobby Zervos, a Hepatologist with Cleveland Clinic Weston said are forms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
“Resmetirom has been shown in a phase three clinical trial that was published earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine that it not only delays the scarring in individuals who have stage two or stage three scarring but it also showed that in some individuals it regressed by a stage which is phenomenal. It kind of supports the theory that we have that in the right setting with the right support the liver can heal itself and we can see regression of scar tissue or fibrosis in the liver,” he said.
Zervos said the development of this drug opens the door and provides further insight into ways to treat other forms of liver disease.
COMPANY SEEKS EXPANDED VACCINE APPROVAL
Pfizer is seeking approval from the FDA to expand its RSV vaccine to Americans as young as 18.
The drug Abrysvo was approved for those over the age of 60 last year.
Pfizer said in a clinical trial, people between the ages of 18 to 59 had an immune response similar to the trial results for older adults and was well tolerated.
RSV is a common respiratory virus that typically causes cold-like symptoms.
It can be serious for infants, older adults, and those with underlying chronic conditions.
E-CIG IMPACT ON HEART HEALTH
E-cigarette users are at a higher risk of heart failure.
That’s according to a new study from the American College of Cardiology.
Analyzing records from more than 175,000 E-cig users, researchers found their heart failure risk was 19 percent greater than those who never vaped.