Medical Bulletin 4/August/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Bipolar depression relapse risk reduced by modern antidepressants

Treatment with modern antidepressants may help prevent patients with bipolar disorder from relapsing into a depressive episode, according to an international clinical trial led by researchers at the University of British Columbia. Patients with bipolar disorder experience extreme changes in their emotional state that cycle through periods of intense highs and lows.

Results from the world’s first randomized clinical trial assessing the duration of adjunctive antidepressant therapy for the condition, suggest that extending the treatment period beyond current guidelines may help prevent depressive relapses

Reference: New England Journal of Medicine, DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2300184

Potential risks of antenatal steroids highlighted in new study

Two new studies published by The BMJ recently examine the potential health risks for infants of giving steroid drugs to women who are at risk of giving birth early.

Corticosteroids are known to help increase the chance of a baby born early surviving and having fewer health problems. Ideally, they should be given before 34 weeks of pregnancy and within approximately one week of birth. But their effects on later childhood health are less well understood, particularly when administration is “mistimed” and infants are born at term.

Reference: The BMJ, Antenatal corticosteroids and longer term outcomes DOI 10.1136/bmj.p1722

Novel HIV drug formulation could improve treatment outcomes for children globally

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have helped confirm the dosing, safety and effectiveness of a drug formulation designed for treating children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The study was published in The Lancet HIV and reveals a new dispersible formulation and an immediate-release tablet containing three medications - dolutegravir, abacavir and lamivudine - in a single fixed dose combination (FDC) formulation is safe, well tolerated, and effective for treating children with HIV. The dosing based on the concentrations of each medication in the blood was also appropriate.

Reference: Kristina Brooks et al, The Lancet HIV. doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(23)00107-8.