News from NYU Langone Health

More Than 100,000 People In The US Died Of Drug Overdoses In 2023. (The Guardian (UK))

The Guardian (UK) (5/15) Joseph J. Palamar, MPH, PhD, associate professor, Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health “and the lead author of” a “NIH-supported study released this week in the International Journal of Drug Policy,” said, “Pills are flooding the market.”

NPR (5/15) “‘Availability of illicit fentanyl is continuing to skyrocket in the U.S., and the influx of fentanyl-containing pills is particularly alarming,’ said Joseph J. Palamar, MPH, PhD, associate professor, Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health.

Healio (5/15) “‘I wasn’t very surprised that the majority of fentanyl seizures are now in pill form,’ Joseph J. Palamar, MPH, PhD, associate professor, Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health “told Healio.”

KIRO-TV Seattle (5/15) “According to a new study, led by experts at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the University of Florida, the number of illicit fentanyl seizures by law enforcement in the United States has grown by more than 1,700% between 2017 and 2023.” Joseph J. Palamar, MPH, PhD, associate professor, Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health, said, “About half of seized fentanyl is now in pill form, suggesting that the illicit drug landscape has rapidly changed.”

PharmaNewsIntelligence Joseph J. Palamar, MPH, PhD, associate professor, Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health, said, “Public health efforts are needed to help prevent these pills from falling into the hands of young people and to help prevent overdose among people taking pills that unsuspectingly contain fentanyl.”

Also reporting are the New York Times (5/15), CNN (5/15), the AP (5/15), and Pain News Network (5/15).

U.S. Overdose Deaths Decline For First Time Since 2018. (Wall Street Journal)

Paywalled* The Wall Street Journal (5/15)* Magdalena Cerda, DrPH, professor, Department of Population Health, said, “We’re still dealing with a huge” overdose “crisis that is much higher than it was just a few years ago.”

NBC News (5/15) “‘More than 100,000 people died of overdoses in 2023. If you take a historical perspective, this is four times what it was 20 years ago,’ said Magdalena Cerda, DrPH, professor, Department of Population Health.

Late-Stage Results Set Up Cytokinetics Heart Drug To Compete With Bristol. (STAT)

Paywalled* STAT (5/13)*  Daniele Massera, MD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, said, “The Achilles’ heel of is the very aggressive REMS program. ... If aficamten is able to achieve a less aggressive REMS program, then it will probably be a more attractive drug.”

What To Do If You Suspect Your Child Has Depression Or Anxiety. (People)

People (5/15) “‘We are seeing an increase in anxiety across kids,’ says child and adolescent psychologist” Becky Lois, PhD, clinical associate professor, Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, KiDS of NYU Foundation Integrated Behavioral Health Program, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital.

Family Planning With A Chronic Health Condition. (HealthyWomen)

HealthyWomen (5/14) “‘Some diseases worsen during pregnancy and some improve, and knowing this would help you determine a good time to start trying to become pregnant,’ said Connie Newman, MD, adjunct professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, and a member of Healthy Women’s Women’s Health Advisory Council.”

4 Cancer Vaccine Developments. (Becker's Hospital Review)

Becker’s Hospital Review (5/15) “NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center launched a phase 3 trial for its metastasis melanoma mRNA vaccine.”

In RA Treatment, Don’t Overlook Underlying CV Risks. (Medscape)

Medscape (5/16)Michael S. Garshick, MD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, and the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, “concurred that a number of unanswered questions persist over the treatment of” cardiovascular disease risk in rheumatoid arthritis “-- and autoimmune disease in general.”

Another Benefit Of Gout Treatment: CV Risk Reduction. (Medscape)

Medscape (5/16)* Michael H. Pillinger, MD, professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, said at the 4th Annual Cardiometabolic Risk in Inflammatory Conditions conference, “Guideline-concordant gout treatment, which is essentially an anti-inflammatory urate-lowering strategy, at least improves arterial physiology and likely reduces cardiovascular risk.” Pillinger offered “more evidence that the understanding of the relationship between gout, gout flares, and CV risk is evolving, said Michael S. Garshick, MD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, and the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology.

‘I’m A Cardiologist And This Is The Type Of Protein I Eat Almost Every Day For Heart Health’. (Parade Magazine)

Parade Magazine (5/15) “When considering heart health in your diet, it’s important to think about the type of protein, portion size and how it’s prepared,” says Nieca Goldberg, MD, clinical associate professor, Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology.

Women Neurologists And Research: This Relationship Still Needs Improvement. (Neurology Today)

Neurology Today (5/16) “Mia T. Minen, MD, MPH, associate professor, Departments of Neurology, and Population Health, said: ‘The NIH is starting to recognize that women researchers need to go on maternity leave. It will now provide funding for staff to continue working while investigators are out. It’s a great initiative, and it should be more highly publicized than it is already.’”

A Mother Is ‘An Honor, God-Given Privilege’: Dr. Olga Husbands. (Caribbean Life (NY))

Caribbean Life (NY) (5/15) Olga Husbands, nurse manager, “who has been a nurse for over 30 years and a nurse leader for over 15 years, says that being a mother is ‘an honor, a God-given privilege and one of the most important occupation a woman can have.’”

Health Care Costs Up To 300% Higher For Privately Insured Patients Than Those With Medicare, Report Reveals. (Fox News)

Fox News (5/15) Marc K. Siegel, MD, clinical professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, and a Fox News medical contributor, said “sometimes hospitals and other health organizations know they can get away with charging private insurers more while obscuring prices from both the insurer and the patient to help compensate for the shrinking reimbursements from public insurances.”