Rob Hicks

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Articles

EMA Expedites Adolescent Chikungunya Vaccine Recommendation

Jan 31, 2025 | medscape.com | Rob Hicks

In its first meeting of 2025, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) gave the green light for the first vaccine in the EU to protect adolescents from the age of 12 years and up against the viral disease chikungunya. The review of the vaccine, called Vimkunya, was expedited under the EMA’s accelerated assessment program because it is considered to be of major public health interest, the agency said in a press release today.
High Street Eye Tests Could Help Screen for Dementia Risk

Jan 26, 2025 | medscape.co.uk | Rob Hicks

Scottish data scientists and clinical researchers have partnered with high street opticians to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tool to predict dementia risk from routine eye tests. Software developed from this study could be used by optometrists as a predictive or diagnostic tool for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. It could also be used as a triage tool to refer patients to secondary health services if signs of brain disease are identified.
Osimertinib Approved for NHS Use in Early Lung Cancer

Jan 21, 2025 | medscape.co.uk | Rob Hicks

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved osimertinib (Tagrisso, AstraZeneca) for some lung cancer patients in England. In final draft guidance, the regulator decided that osimertinib should be a routine NHS option for the adjuvant treatment of stage 1b to 3a non ‑ small ‑ cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in adults after complete tumour resection.
NICE Rejects Capivasertib for Some Breast Cancer Patients

Jan 15, 2025 | medscape.co.uk | Rob Hicks

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has provisionally rejected capivasertib with fulvestrant for treating certain types of advanced or metastatic breast cancer due to uncertainties over its cost-effectiveness. There were also uncertainties about how long the treatment effect lasted, the regulator noted in draft guidance. Capivasertib is an AKT inhibitor that blocks the action of ATK kinases, which enable cancer cell growth and multiplication.
Bowel Cancer Test Kits Offered to All Over-50s in England

Jan 14, 2025 | medscape.co.uk | Rob Hicks

Hundreds of thousands more people will be sent a bowel cancer home-testing kit as the NHS marked the final step in making screening available to everyone aged 50 to 74 years old. People aged 50 and 52 will now automatically receive a home faecal immunochemical test (FIT) kit every 2 years by post. Around 850,000 additional people in England a year will be eligible for the screening test, NHS England said in a statement.
NICE Approves Vamorolone for DMD After Price Deal

Dec 10, 2024 | medscape.co.uk | Rob Hicks

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved vamorolone (Agamree, Santhera) as a treatment option for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) following a revised pricing deal with the manufacturer. Around 1700 people in England with the condition could benefit following publication of positive final draft guidance by the regulator.
The Man Van: Earlier Prostate Diagnosis via Mobile PSA Test

Nov 27, 2024 | medscape.co.uk | Bedside Ultrasound |Rob Hicks

Two studies have found that using a mobile van for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing improves healthcare access for high-risk male patients from deprived communities and ethnic minorities. Between December 2021 and December 2022, the “Man Van”, initiated by the Institute of Cancer Research, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and two cancer alliances, was deployed to eight different locations in a bid to find undiagnosed prostate cancer as part of pilot study.
Pharmacies Vote to Reduce Services

Nov 18, 2024 | medscape.co.uk | Rob Hicks

Pharmacy owners have voted to work to rule and reduce services for the first time in their history unless a funding increase is agreed. The move comes just days after Ask Your Pharmacist Week 2024 where the theme was ‘Professional and convenient healthcare, from your local pharmacy team’. Almost two out of three (63.5%) National Pharmacy Association (NPA) members in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland took part in the ballot, representing 3399 independent community pharmacies.
Mouth Cancer Cases Pass 10,000 for First Time

Nov 8, 2024 | medscape.co.uk | Rob Hicks

The number of new mouth cancer cases in the UK has passed the 10,000 mark for the first time. The Oral Health Foundation’s State of Mouth Cancer UK Report 2024, released to coincide with November’s mouth cancer action month, found that 10,054 new cases of mouth cancer were diagnosed in England and Scotland in 2022. It was the first time the number of new diagnoses had surpassed the 10,000 mark and represented an increase of 9% on the previous year for England and Scotland combined.
NICE Recommends Elranatamab for Multiple Myeloma

Oct 29, 2024 | medscape.co.uk | Rob Hicks

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published final draft guidance recommending elranatamab (Elrexfio) for the treatment of multiple myeloma. The drug was initially approved in June on the NHS in England and Wales, but patients who had previously received a combination of isatuximab, pomalidomide, and dexamethasone or of pomalidomide plus dexamethasone were not eligible.