Category: Regulations
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Cannabis Derivative Shown to Reduce Severe Seizures
A clinical trial shows treatments made with cannabidiol, a medical-grade derivative of cannabis plants, reduce the number of severe seizures in people with Lennox–Gastaut syndrome, when combined with conventional drugs.
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Crowdfunding Found Supporting Dubious Stem Cell Clinics
More people now use crowdfunding campaigns to raise money to cover families’ medical costs, but the technique is also used to support treatments from stem cell clinics that exaggerate their outcomes and minimize their risks.
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Trial Underway Testing Universal Flu Vaccine
A clinical trial is recruiting participants to test a vaccine to protect against a variety of influenza strains, instead of today’s vaccines designed to prevent infections from specific strains expected in a given year.
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Trial Testing Nerve Stimulation for Stroke Rehab
A clinical trial is recruiting participants to test an implanted device that electronically stimulates a key nerve pathway for restoring use of a person’s arm after suffering a stroke.
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FDA Clears A.I. Software Detecting Diabetic Eye Disease
The Food and Drug Administration authorized a system for detecting diabetic retinopathy, a condition threatening the vision of people with diabetes, that uses artificial intelligence to analyze images of patients’ retinas.
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Complications Can Result from Plastic Surgery Tourism
Surgeons at a Boston hospital report a continuing flow of cases where people go overseas for plastic surgery, only to encounter complications needing repair, including drug-resistant bacterial infections, after they return.
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FDA Authorizes Interoperable Glucose Monitoring System
The Food and Drug Administration authorized a device that electronically monitors blood glucose levels in people with diabetes, but is also designed to exchange data with other compatible electronic systems.
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High False-Positive Rate Found in Consumer Genetic Tests
Follow-up reviews of results from direct-to-consumer genetic tests show 40 percent of the actionable gene variations reported in the tests, including some indicating disease risk, were erroneous.
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Trials Show Pain Drug Reduces Post-Surgery Opioid Use
Initial results from two late-stage clinical trials show an experimental pain drug with non-opioid ingredients reduces the use of opioid pain relievers following surgery, compared to a placebo and standard care.
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Quick Bacterial Blood Detection Gains Breakthrough Tag
A technology that detects dangerous bacteria in patients’ blood samples in less than an hour received a breakthrough medical device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.