Ark Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s phase III testing its ziresovir in infants hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection produced positive top-line results, meeting both the primary endpoint of reduction in signs and symptoms (S&S) score (p=0.002) and a key secondary endpoint of reduction in viral load (p=0.006) compared with placebo. The company said it is the first oral RSV antiviral to be successful in phase III.

The quixotic course of the cancer therapy Ontak continues with new top-line data from Citius Pharmaceuticals Inc. The company’s phase III study of I/Ontak (E-7777), a reformulation of previously FDA-approved oncology treatment Ontak (denileukin diftitox), was consistent with the prior formulation. No new safety signals were identified in treating persistent or recurrent cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Shares of Suzhou, China-based Kintor Pharmaceutical Ltd. (HKEX:9939) rose to HKD28.85 (US$3.68), up HKD14.87, or 106%, after the firm reported top-line data from the phase III multiregional trial with proxalutamide in people with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection, regardless of vaccination status or risk factors.

As was the case with left atrial appendage closure, renal denervation (RD) as a treatment for hypertension has proven to be difficult to move along into routine clinical usage. New data for a study sponsored by Medtronic plc showed that RD offers a statistically significant improvement over sham treatment in reducing hypertension, but the data do not seem to suggest that patients will be able to drop their antihypertensive medications after RD treatment.

The tricuspid valve at times seems the lost child of the heart’s valves, but new research hints that regurgitation of this valve can be resolved with a transcatheter replacement. Adam Greenbaum, of Emory University School of Medicine, said the early feasibility study of the Pascal valve by Edwards Lifesciences Inc., of Irvine, Calif., demonstrated a large improvement in mortality at one year and significant improvements in heart failure status, a result that offers new hope for these patients.

Astrazeneca plc and Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. have unveiled some eye-catching figures from their cholesterol drug, AZD-8233, in a phase IIb trial, taking aim at the PCSK9 inhibitor market where Novartis AG, Sanofi SA/Regeneron Inc. and Amgen Inc. are vying for supremacy.

Preclinical data on two newly designed mRNA molecules from Sunshine Biopharma Inc., of Montreal, showed they are effective at killing cancer cells grown in culture. Tests were performed on a variety of cancer cells, including multidrug-resistant breast cancer cells, ovarian adenocarcinoma cells and pancreatic cancer cells, while toxicology studies using normal human cells showed that the mRNA molecules had little or no cytotoxic effects.

A 2,000-patient U.K. study has been set up to generate real-world evidence of the value of using AI technology to detect bowel polyps (adenomas) during colonoscopy procedures. The aim is to show whether Medtronic plc’s GI Genius system improves the detection of polyps when deployed in both expert centers and non-specialist units, in the routine diagnostic screening of patients referred from primary care or through the national fecal immunochemical testing program.

There has been some skepticism about the value of electronic health records (EHRs) beyond their role as a source of income for EHR developers, but an April 3 presentation at the 2022 America College of Cardiology scientific sessions being held in Washington suggests this type of software offers some real value for heart failure patients. Tariq Ahmad of Yale School of Medicine said a study of EHRs suggests their power lay in part in prompting compliance with heart failure medication regimes, an application of this type of software that can both save lives and cut costs for the Medicare program and Medicare beneficiaries.