Axios: Medicine’s hot streak

Medicine’s hot streak
 
a stethoscope with a glowing lightbulb at the end of it
Illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios
 
Decades of scientific investment have paid off in the past month, with researchers announcing promising breakthroughs against cancers and other deadly afflictions, Axios’ Caitlin Owens writes.

“This has quietly been a miracle month in medicine,” notes Derek Thompson, author of a smart Substack and co-author of “Abundance.”

🔬 In late-stage clinical trial results, Revolution Medicines’ experimental pancreatic cancer treatment doubled patients’ life expectancy compared with standard chemotherapy.

Eli Lilly’s latest experimental anti-obesity drug appears to reduce body weight at levels approaching bariatric surgery in clinical trials.

A Mayo Clinic AI model spotted abnormalities on scans up to three years before patients were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Reality check: We’re still in the era of medicine where most miraculous new drugs generally don’t cure the disease as much as allow sick people to live longer.

And the new wave of anti-obesity drugs, which have the potential to stave off cardiovascular disease in the long term, are expensive and must be taken indefinitely to retain their benefits.

🔮 What we’re watching: AI is fueling hopes for a transformational era of medicine, where diseases are detected earlier and cured altogether.

An experimental drug acquired by Eli Lilly earlier this year, which targets multiple myeloma by editing cells inside the body, showed a 100% response rate in early-phase clinical trial results.

A small, early-stage study found that an experimental gene-editing therapy could potentially permanently lower cholesterol levels after just one infusionopening the door to one-and-done heart disease prevention.

Late-phase trial results for a hepatitis B treatment found it was “a functional cure” for 20% of patients who received it.

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About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
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