Clinical

Government prosecutors in the criminal-fraud trial of Theranos Inc.’s former second-in-command, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, made their final pitch to the jury in closing arguments Tuesday, as the Silicon Valley case moves closer to a resolution.Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Schenk said that Mr. Balwani, longtime president and chief operating officer of the now-defunct blood-testing startup, had full knowledge of the fraud he was committing because he was in charge of Theranos’s laboratory and was well-informed of its many…

The final decades of a human's life are a litany of gradual mechanical failures. Strength wanes, fitness drops, and the brain can get a little foggy.Balance is among the first to slide, sending us wobbling some time in our mid-fifties. Given the fact that falls are a major cause of injury-based death around the world, keeping track of this vital function should be more of a priority than it currently is.  One obstacle to medical surveillance of balance in old age is we simply don't know what to look for as an early sign…

Government prosecutors in the criminal-fraud trial of Theranos Inc.’s former second-in-command, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, made their final pitch to the jury in closing arguments Tuesday, as the Silicon Valley case moves closer to a resolution.Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Schenk said that Mr. Balwani, longtime president and chief operating officer of the now-defunct blood-testing startup, had full knowledge of the fraud he was committing because he was in charge of Theranos’s laboratory and was well-informed of its many…

Writer and producer Danny Strong was unaccustomed to high-ranking television executives calling him at odd hours for in-depth discussions about a project.That changed when he began making shows for Dana Walden, who last week was thrust into the role of chairman of Walt Disney Co. DIS 0.06% ’s General Entertainment Content unit, a job that comes with oversight of more than 300 shows and an annual budget of around $10 billion. Already one of…

Cancer afflicts more older people than those in any other age group. In fact, over half of cancers diagnosed in the United States occur in those over the age of 65. That number is expected to reach 70 percent by 2030, as the population experiences an unprecedented boom of senior citizens. A growing number of targeted cancer therapies and immunotherapies are available today, but older people often don’t have access to these options, putting them at greater risk of dying from their disease. And even when they do have access…

Canadian health authorities approved Amylyx Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s new drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the progressive neurodegenerative disease that robs patients of their ability to move and speak.It is the first Canadian approval since 2018 for a new drug treating the fatal condition, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The action by Health Canada on Monday could put more pressure on U.S. drug regulators to issue their own approval, though some Food and Drug…

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Lawyers for Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani called their second and final witness and rested their brief defense of the onetime Theranos Inc. executive charged with a dozen counts of criminal fraud.Mr. Balwani didn’t testify in his own defense. Thursday’s testimony from technical consultant Richard Sonnier brings the trial, which follows the conviction of Theranos founder and Chief Executive Elizabeth Holmes in January,…

Let’s know about the emergence of Real World Data or Evidence for drugs clinical trials Traditionally, randomised clinical trials or RCTs have been considered to be the gold standard for measuring the safety and efficacy of drugs. The data obtained in the controlled setting that a good RCT employs provides the best evidence of the efficacy and safety of the drug with little contamination by other factors.  Lately, though, the emergence of Real World Data or Evidence (RWD/E) has allowed us to evaluate the safety…

A recently approved diabetes drug being clinically investigated for its effects on body weight in obese and overweight people has delivered "substantial and sustained reductions in body weight" in a phase 3 clinical trial, according to results now published in The New England Journal of Medicine.  Tirzepatide, developed by American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly), is a once-weekly injection under the skin, originally developed for type 2 diabetes treatment.While not yet indicated for this use, it…

There may soon be new hope for patients born with genetic defects that leave them with misshapen or missing ears. A new human clinical trial will test an implant known as AuriNovo, which uses a 3D-bioprinted ear grown from the patient’s own cells.Microtia is a birth defect that affects the external part of a baby’s ear. This can range from a minor deformation that might be barely noticeable, to more severe forms where the ear is just a small lump of cartilage, or missing entirely. It can affect one or both ears, and in…