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Top infectious disease stories: FDA approves Xofluza for influenza, high-risk HPV prevalent in American Indian women
This week, the top story in infectious disease was the FDA approval of Xofluza for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza in patients aged 12 years or older who have been symptomatic for up to 48 hours. The approval marks the first new treatment for influenza in nearly two decades.
Other popular stories included a commentary suggesting that pharmacists should have a bigger role in penicillin skin testing, findings that indicated that high-risk HPV is prevalent in American Indian women, data showing that smartphone-based assay diagnoses UTIs at point of care and a report arguing that rolling back transgender protections would endanger patients.
FDA approves Xofluza as first new flu treatment in nearly 20 years
The FDA today approved Xofluza for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza in patients aged 12 years or older who have been symptomatic for up to 48 hours. Read more.
Making the case for pharmacist-administered penicillin skin test
Experts have suggested a bigger role for pharmacists in penicillin skin testing, writing in Clinical Infectious Diseases that it would expand access to the service and be good for antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Read more.
High-risk HPV prevalent in American Indian women
A study conducted on one of the largest American Indian reservations in the United States found that women from the tribal community had a high prevalence of high-risk HPV, with older women experiencing a prevalence approximately triple that of other races. Read more.
Smartphone-based assay diagnoses UTIs at point of care
In a head-to-head comparison, researchers found that a smartphone-based assay was as good at detecting pathogens in urine specimens from sepsis patients as currently available “gold standard” clinical diagnostics, but provided results in far less time and for much less money, according to study findings published in EBioMedicine. Read more.
Rolling back transgender protections would endanger patients, experts say
A federal policy that rolls back protections for transgender people would endanger their access to appropriate health care, experts said. Read more.