Aneal Khan’s Post

This is heartbreaking, but even more than that, it's infuriating. Most people think of the respiratory symptoms when they think of cystic fibrosis. In the 1950s, when Dr. Dorothy Hansine Andersen discovered and characterized Cystic Fibrosis, it wasn't primarily a respiratory condition. The children with cystic fibrosis died in their infancy from the pancreatic symptoms before the lung issues had a chance to develop. (https://a.co/d/dcKeBqS) Cystic fibrosis is one of the great successes in medicine and pharmacology. In only a few decades, it has gone from being a death sentence in infancy, to having a close-to-normal life expectancy with a near-normal quality of life thanks to modulator therapy. The miracle of CFTR modulators (Kalydeco/ivakaftor, or Kaftrio, a.k.a., Trikafta in USA) is that instead of treating the symptoms, they restore the function of the patients' CFTR. The medications are a simple pill and generally well-tolerated with minimal side effects (in stark comparison to treatment of thalassemia which involves blood transfusions, chelator therapy infusions, and numerous side effects from the treatments). Cystic fibrosis and CFTR are my areas of expertise. I have studied all aspects of CFTR from compiling a full exon map of protein domains/important residues/pathogenic variants, taking over twenty credit hours of IUSM courses of the clinical aspects of cystic fibrosis, to learning all I can about the history of cystic fibrosis and the amazing contributions of Dr. Andersen. I am also half-English. To know that young children are being denied a readily available cure for a disease that I study passionately in a place I consider home is too much to bear. I hope this decision is reversed quickly and all these vulnerable patients are given treatment before they start to accumulate lung damage. #cysticfibrosis #NHS #Kaftrio #Trikafta #CFTR2 #CFF #CysticFibrosisTrust https://lnkd.in/evNrdZTk

Wash. Rinse. Repeat. How can two parts of the same #healthsystem not work together to make sure that #Alzheimers patients have access to the newest therapeutic #innovations? Of course, we should make sure that the patients that will benefit most are the beneficiaries with #earlydetection and #accuratediagnosis, but not only for people with the ability to pay out of pocket - this is a detriment to #healthequity and #healthsystempreparedness for all. #TeamUK, let’s unify and (quickly) take another stab at this, shall we?

Alzheimer's drug lecanemab has been approved for license in Britain but disapointingly won't be available on the NHS. It's a remarkable achievement that research has delivered a drug that can slow the effects of Alzheimer's disease, rather than just alleviating symptoms. But as a first-generation treatment, lecanemab has modest benefits and side-effects that need careful monitoring. It's clear that our health system is not ready to embrace the new wave of Alzheimer's drugs. We've written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting urging him to find a solution so that people with dementia in the UK don't continue to miss out on innovative treatments. Today's news is frustrating, but it is not the end of the road. There are currently over 125 experimental treatments in trials across the globe and it really is a matter of when, not if, new treatments become available. We will continue to put our full support behind research to get us there. More here: https://lnkd.in/ehGB96NG Share your reaction to the news 👇

Single pill combination therapy works. If you are on BP lower medications and your blood pressure is not controlled, please talk to your prescriber. Your cardiovascular and neurological health needs you to advocate for yourself. "Among Black African adults with uncontrolled hypertension, a low-dose triple-pill protocol achieved better blood pressure lowering and control with good tolerability compared with the standard-care protocol" #AMAMAPHtn. #Prevention #teambasedcare

It would be impossible to talk about the opioid epidemic without talking about Purdue Pharma's contribution. In the early 1990s, Purdue enrolled 133 elderly patients in a study to test the efficacy and safety of OxyContin. 83% reported some type of adverse event, but Purdue concluded that OxyContin was safe and effective. Under Purdue's instructions, their representatives began heavily marketing Oxycontin to doctors as a non or minimally addictive way to treat chronic pain despite no evidence supporting this claim. Purdue Pharma was aggressively and falsely marketing Oxycontin, making addicts out of everyday people and making themselves over one billion in sales. #purduepharmahasbloodontheirhands #opioidcrisisawareness #highschoolsports #publichealthmatters #billionairemindset #drugdealersdream #graduatestudent References Chakradhar, S., & Ross, C. (2019, December 3). The history of OxyContin, told through Purdue Pharma documents. STAT. https://lnkd.in/g9KKSENQ Gale, A. (2022). Sacklers Sacked But Purdue Still Caused Opioid Epidemic. Missouri Medicine, 119(2), 109. https://lnkd.in/gQ6Qcdtn Miech, R., Johnston, L., O’Malley, P. M., Keyes, K. M., & Heard, K. (2015). Prescription Opioids in Adolescence and Future Opioid Misuse. PEDIATRICS, 136(5), e1169–e1177. https://lnkd.in/ggaTUyFZ Van Zee, A. (2009). The Promotion and Marketing of OxyContin: Commercial Triumph, Public Health Tragedy. American Journal of Public Health, 99(2), 221–227. https://lnkd.in/guSjTTYX

On July 2, 2024, the FDA approved Kisunla (donanemab-azbt) for the treatment of early Alzheimer’s disease. Donanemab is an intravenous infusion drug that targets amyloid plaque buildup in the brain to treat Alzheimer's disease. The drug's mechanism of action is to induce microglial-mediated clearance of existing amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and slow the decline in cognitive function associated with Alzheimer's. Kisunla Prescribing Information https://lnkd.in/eDhHzfpm Treatment with donanemab should be initiated in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia stage of disease. #Kisunla #donanemab #EliLilly #alzheimer #alzheimers #alzheimersdisease #alzheimersawareness

New research estimates that between 56% and 62% of patients currently receiving treatment for depression (5.1 to 5.6 million people in the US)—could qualify for psilocybin therapy, if approved. This study assessed eligibility criteria from clinical trials and real-world settings, the study estimates that 24% (lower-bound), 56% (mid-range), and 62% (upper-bound) of patients with MDD and TRD could qualify for psilocybin treatment. Factors influencing eligibility include comorbid conditions, insurance coverage, state regulations, and access to trained providers. Read the study here: https://lnkd.in/e9uEzW8t

Comprehensive Management of Multiple Sclerosis: The Vital Role of Pharmacists: Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating disease affecting many Americans. Pharmacists can help patients control the symptoms that impact their quality of life. #finance #pharmacy #lifesciences

A post yesterday from Bryce Platt, PharmD inspired me to post about the use of antipsychotic medications, particularly those who are treatment resistant to more "first-line" therapies. As Bryce mentioned in his post about Cobenfy, a promising new drug, it has low discontinuation rates and naturally, a high list price. It is actually a combination therapy where the active drug's potentially harmful/unpleasant side effects are offset by the second drug (Entresto anyone??). Employers and brokers may not be as interested in this drug space as most eligible patients who are treatment resistant are not on private health plans, however, I've definitely seen my fair share that are (or where Medicaid was only secondary coverage); and with list prices for drugs like Vraylar and Rexulti being nearly $1500 per month, it can be costly. This brings me to the forgotten eldest child in the grouping, clozapine. It was developed decades ago and has low prescribing rates due to its potentially life-threatening affect on white blood cells (it's estimated that ~0.8% of patients develop agranulocytosis). For this reason, it is part of the REMS program which requires more monitoring; hence the low prescribing rates. However, on a second look, we can see that clozapine actually performs quite well relative to others in its class. A 2019 JAMA published systematic review and meta analysis (linked in comments) showed fewer rates of discontinuation, extrapyramidal symptoms and lower risks of hospitalization, relative to other second generation antipsychotics. Also consider, this is in patients considered to be more ill/chronic as clozapine is used almost exclusively in treatment resistant patients. We saw increases in markers like BMI (0.96kg/m2), weight (1.7kg) and glucose (8mg/dl). I'd argue these aren't necessarily clinically significant and can be monitored and managed if we're saving thousands of dollars per year. I believe clozapine is underutilized, however, monitoring requirements may be difficult for this demographic of patients to adhere to. What are your thoughts? #apothicorwellness #pharmacists #benefits

Tadalafil as a Common ED Treatment Option Lifestyle choices, psychological stress, and underlying health issues including diabetes and cardiovascular disease are contributing to the rise in erectile dysfunction (ED). This issue has increased attention and dependence on pharmaceutical therapies, including tadalafil due to its efficacy and duration. #ED #medical #musclerelaxation #Tadalafil