Treatment with eltrombopag and cyclosporin A may benefit patients with severe aplastic anemia | Study examines racial disparities in stem cell transplant outcomes | AI can help with infection prevention, outbreak response
March 22, 2024
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News for the transfusion medicine and biotherapies community
A meta-analysis of 15 studies found that pregnant women with beta-thalassemia major and beta-thalassemia intermedia were at greater risk of heart failure, venous thromboembolism, death and other adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes. The findings were published in the journal Blood Advances.
A Phase 2 study found that treatment with eltrombopag and cyclosporin A showed promising activity as a front-line therapy for treatment-naïve patients with severe aplastic anemia. The combination did not cause any unexpected safety concerns, the study authors wrote in the journal Lancet Hematology.
A study presented at the Tandem Meetings showed that Black and Asian patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation were more likely to experience cytomegalovirus and Epstein Barr virus reactivation compared with white patients and other races. No significant differences in overall survival and other major outcomes were observed across ethnicities.
AI can be used to enhance hospital infection prevention activities and help facilities respond better to disease outbreaks, and it also can help clinicians follow antimicrobial stewardship guidelines, according to researchers presenting ahead of the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Richard Drew of Rotunda Hospital noted that AI can handle repetitive tasks such as mask compliance auditing and environmental cleaning, and it can help with big data analytics for patient groups as well.
Thermo Fisher Scientific has entered a partnership with Bayer to work on next-generation sequencing-based companion diagnostic tests, which will determine which patients may benefit from Bayer's precision cancer therapies. The companies will co-develop the assays using the Oncomine Dx Express Test on the Ion Torrent Genexus Dx sequencing system.
If passed, the Match IT Act of 2024 would support new standards to help clinicians and practices match patients with their health records. The measure would establish patient match rate as a clinical quality measurement. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., said more than a third of denied claims stem from incorrect patient identification, resulting in $2.5 million in annual costs for the average hospital and $6.7 billion for the industry overall.
The FDA has proposed a rule to establish lists of drug products or drug categories that are difficult to compound under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act's 503A and 503B sections. The proposal involves creating a list for each section that includes three categories of inclusion criteria and drug products, with the goal of addressing regulatory uncertainty.
The US can't let telehealth flexibilities expire, said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra during a recent hearing at the House of Representatives. Becerra noted that the process of making those flexibilities permanent requires state governments and federal authorities to work closely.
Two AABB Foundation alumni published research in some of the field's leading journals. Moritz Stolla, MD, PhD, a 2020 AABB Foundation scholar, served as the senior and corresponding author of a paper in Blood examining the impact of platelet storage conditions on reversing platelet dysfunction. Angelo D'Alessandro, PhD, a 2023 Hall of Fame inductee, co-authored findings in Cell Stem Cell suggesting that aging hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) may regain their function by reducing iron levels within the cells.