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Click Therapeutics

In less than a year since the last debt financing, click therapeutics, a digital therapy start-up, recently announced that it had obtained a round B financing of US $52 million.
This round of financing is jointly led by new investors h.i.g. biohealth partners and accelmed partners II, with the participation of health catalyst capital, redemption partners and a top biotechnology hedge fund, as well as existing investment institutions Sanofi ventures, K2 healthventures, hikma ventures and ridgetop health.
David benshoof Klein, CEO and co-founder of the company, described this round of financing as an “important milestone” and revealed that this round of funds will be used to accelerate the development and commercialization of click’s internal prescription digital treatment pipeline and improve its platform capacity.
The New York based startup, founded in April 2012, is committed to providing patients with digital prescription treatment solutions through the development and commercialization of software.
Click therapeutics is literally translated into Chinese as “click therapy”. The company name is very vivid and very consistent with the product – patients and doctors interact by clicking on the application on the mobile phone screen, and then use digital therapy to treat diseases.

The Side Effects of Sleeping Pills

A third to half of Americans suffer from insomnia and complain about lack of sleep. Maybe you’re one of them. If so, you may consider taking sleeping pills.
Sleeping pills can relieve your sleep problems in the short term. But it’s important to know all about sleeping pills. This includes understanding the side effects of sleeping pills. When you do this, you can avoid abusing these sedatives.
What are the side effects of sleeping pills?
Like most drugs, sleeping pills have side effects. However, before you try, you don’t know whether taking some sleeping pills will have side effects.
If you have asthma or other health conditions, your doctor may tell you some side effects. Sleeping pills interfere with normal breathing and may be dangerous for people with chronic lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Common side effects of prescription sleeping pills such as sleeping pills, Halcion, lunesta, rozerem and Sonata include:
Burning or tingling of hands, arms, feet or legs
Appetite change
constipation
diarrhea
Balance problem
dizzy
daytime sleepiness
Dry mouth
coal gas
headache
Heartburn
the second day
Slow thinking or attention or memory problems
stomachache
Uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
An unusual dream
weakness
It is important to be aware of the possible side effects of sleeping pills so that you can stop taking sleeping pills and call your doctor immediately to avoid more serious health problems.

Novartis pharmaceutical approved hypertension indications

Novartis pharmaceutical announced that the State Drug Administration approved nuoxintol on June 1 ®( Salkubatrol (valsartan) is used to treat essential hypertension. As norcintal ®( Following the listing of indications for heart failure in 2017, the second indication approved in China, this approval marks the breakthrough of new drugs in the field of hypertension treatment in China for more than 10 years, and is expected to lead the management mode of hypertension treatment from simple hypotension to the whole process risk control of cardiovascular events.
Sacubatrovalsartan is the world’s first angiotensin receptor enkephalinase inhibitor (Arni). The results of a phase III clinical study led by Professor Huo Yong, vice chairman of China Cardiovascular Health Alliance and the first hospital of Peking University, show that after 8 weeks of treatment, the antihypertensive effect of sakubatrovalsartan is significantly better than olmesartan (control drug), which has the best antihypertensive effect among ARB drugs, and can significantly improve the compliance rate of blood pressure. A total of 1438 Asian patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension aged 18 and over (sitting systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 to < 180 mm Hg) were included in the study, of which 85% were Chinese patients. In addition, many studies have also shown that whether the blood pressure level of patients with hypertension is high or low, whether they are combined with risk factors or heart and kidney damage, sacubatrovalsartan shows universal antihypertensive effect [1].
Hypertension is the primary risk factor for inducing cardiovascular events. As a large country of hypertension, China has 245 million adult patients with hypertension [2], but the standard rate of blood pressure is only 15.3% [3]. The damage of heart, kidney, blood vessels and other organs caused by hypertension significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular death and keeps the disability and death rate related to hypertension high. Professor Huo Yong said: “the management of hypertension in China is facing multiple challenges, such as low compliance rate, high proportion of complications, aggravation of target organ damage and so on. In recent years, the treatment of hypertension began to focus on the treatment strategy based on hypotension, reducing the risk of cardiovascular events and improving the prognosis of patients. In terms of blood pressure reduction, sakubatrovalsartan shows the characteristics of large reduction, rapid onset and 24-hour pressure control. At the same time, it also shows superior protective effects on organs such as heart, kidney and blood vessels. It can block the chain of cardiovascular events in multiple ways and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. The application of salkubatrol and Valsartan in the field of hypertension will further optimize the existing treatment scheme, which is of milestone significance to the management of hypertension. “

The FDA will fully approve Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine next week

According to a report in the New York Times, the U.S. Food and drug administration may give full approval to Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine as early as Monday. It is reported that regulators are trying to complete paperwork and negotiations with the company on Friday. Pfizer’s two doses of vaccine are currently being vaccinated in the United States under the emergency use authorization issued by FDA in December.
Pfizer and its partner biontech sought full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May. Full approval will allow Pfizer to skip the procurement process and sell its vaccine directly to consumers, and may make it easier for government agencies and schools to obtain and vaccinate the public.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, the United States has received more than 203 million doses of Pfizer vaccine. Last week, the FDA and CDC signed a purchase agreement for the third dose of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine for some people with low immunity. On Wednesday, Biden Administration health officials said that fully immunized adults who have received Pfizer or Moderna vaccines will be eligible for intensive injections starting next month.
According to the New York Times, the FDA’s approval of Pfizer’s vaccine may be issued next Monday, which is expected to be much earlier than the agency’s expected completion date.
The food and Drug Administration declined to comment on the news.
Moderna is also seeking FDA approval for its covid-19 vaccine, but it is said that the approval decision may need to wait a few more weeks.

Frequently abused prescription and OTC drugs

Drug abuse
Drug use is not just street drugs. In addition to marijuana, legal drugs are the most frequently abused over-the-counter drugs in the United States. Prescription drugs can help and cure us. However, if used improperly, some may be addictive and dangerous.
Protect your family. Using this guide can help you find some commonly used misuse drugs. Because drugs take many forms, not all pills and tablets are displayed. Drug pictures cannot be scaled.
Barbiturates
These are sedatives such as phenobarbital, pentobarbital (pentobarbital) and secobarbital (secobarbital). They help relieve anxiety, sleep problems and some epilepsy. But if you eat more than the prescribed amount, you may become addicted. High doses can cause difficulty breathing, especially when you drink. If you can’t work without barbiturates, please ask for help.
Benzodiazepines
Xanax, klonopin and diazepam are two examples of benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are another sedative that helps alleviate anxiety, panic attacks and sleep problems. They work well and are safer than barbiturates. However, excessive use, even according to regulations, can also lead to physical dependence and addiction. Sudden cessation of these drugs can be dangerous. If you think you are dependent on these drugs, talk to your doctor. Prescription drugs should not be shared. They only apply to people with prescriptions
Sleeping pill
If you have sleep disorders, you can take zolpidem (Ambien), aspirin and other drugs (lunesta) and zaleplon (Sonata) to help you get the rest you need. But if you use them longer than your doctor suggests, you may become dependent on them and need them to sleep. Practicing sleep hygiene skills is the best way to solve sleep problems. Although they are not as addictive as some sleeping pills, doctors worry that if they are not taken according to the regulations, they will lead to abuse.

Four in one antihypertensive drugs can improve the prognosis

A new clinical trial from Australia shows that the four in one pill contains “ultra-low doses” of different drugs, which can better control blood pressure than standard drug treatment.
The researchers reported that about 80% of people taking “Siyuan pill” reached a healthy blood pressure of 140 / 90 within three months and lasted for one year, while 60% began to take a single drug and supplement other drugs as needed.
Dr Clara Chow, a medical professor at the University of Sydney, said: “at first, this combination of low-dose blood pressure drugs is more effective than one dose of common drugs, and then gradually add drugs to improve blood pressure control.”
“Even at 12 months, there was no catch-up – that is, the group that started taking the four in one pill still had better blood pressure control at 12 months,” Zhou continued.
Dr. Eugene young, director of cardiovascular disease prevention at the American College of Cardiology, said that some blood pressure treatment guidelines have recommended the use of different drug combinations to better achieve a healthy level.
Combining these different drugs into one pill can help people better adhere to treatment, said Yang, medical director of the East professional center of medicine at Washington University in Bellevue.
“Many factors driving this strategy are improving compliance, because we know that the more pills you take, the lower compliance,” Yang said.
Four different tested antihypertensive drugs were combined into one tablet and randomly prescribed to half of nearly 600 Australians to test their safety and effectiveness.
Chow and her colleagues believe that since each drug contained in the pill is equivalent to a quarter of the normal prescription, the possibility of side effects will be less.
“The quarter dose of each antihypertensive drug is not the effective quarter. In fact, its effective rate is closer to 60%,” Zhou explained. “The four drugs included here reduce blood pressure in different ways; In other words, they are synergistic. Therefore, when used in combination, a quarter dose of the drug has the greatest effect on the smallest dose of the drug. “
Their suspicions were correct because the group taking Siyuan pills had few serious side effects.
“The side effects of any ultra-low dose of these drugs are very small. Side effects are almost always dose-related, and these are ultra-low doses, “said Dr. Robert Carey, honorary Dean of the University of Virginia School of medicine and co-author of the American Heart Association’s blood pressure treatment guidelines.
After three weeks, the average blood pressure of Siyuan pill group was 120 / 71, while that of standard nursing group was 127 / 79.
The findings were published in the August 29 issue of the lancet and at the European Society of Cardiology meeting last week.
Carey says such a four yuan pill is most beneficial to developing countries and remote areas of the United States, where there are few health care opportunities.
In such places, “your ability to measure blood pressure at home or in the office will be weakened, as will your ability to increase and titrate drug doses,” Carey explained.
The main obstacle at present is that “there are no large-scale manufacturers to manufacture this low-dose quadruple combination, although we hope they can consider this through research evidence,” Chow said. The combination of early low-dose antihypertensive drugs is a more effective method, which can quickly, safely and effectively control blood pressure, and the total dose of drugs is the lowest. “
Although he found the results promising, Yang said he would like to see a longer clinical trial to treat patients with hypertension. He pointed out that the average blood pressure of the trial participants at the beginning was 141 / 85, and the study was designed to help people achieve a blood pressure below 140 / 90.
“They didn’t start from a starting point where they needed to do a lot of things to achieve this goal,” Yang said.
He also hopes that future research will include whether four pills can lower blood pressure and help people avoid life-threatening diseases.
“What you really want to know is whether these interventions can bring some meaningful benefits, such as reducing heart attack, stroke or heart failure,” Yang said.

Medication during pregnancy

There may be a period of time during pregnancy when you feel unwell and are not sure whether you can take conventional over-the-counter drugs (OTC). Some drugs are safe to take during pregnancy. But others are not, or their impact on the baby may not be clear.
When you meet with your doctor to confirm your pregnancy, ask which drugs you can take and which drugs you need to find alternatives. Your health care provider will weigh the risks and benefits to help you know what is safe.
In addition, tell your doctor about any alternative drugs or supplements you take, even if the label says “natural”. If you get any new prescriptions during pregnancy, make sure the person who prescribes them knows you’re pregnant.
What drugs are safe to take during pregnancy?
It is safe and important to take prenatal vitamins during pregnancy. Ask your healthcare provider about the safety of taking other vitamins, herbs and supplements. Most herbal preparations and supplements have not been shown to be safe during pregnancy.
Generally speaking, you should not take any over-the-counter drugs during pregnancy unless it is necessary.
Taking the following drugs and family drugs according to the packaging instructions has no known harmful effects during pregnancy. For more information about its safety or drugs not listed here, please contact your doctor.
Safe medication during pregnancy*
allergy
 diphenhydramine (diphenhydramine)
 loratadine (Clementine)
Steroid nasal spray (Rhinocort)
Consult your doctor before taking these drugs in the first three months of pregnancy.
Colds and flu
 acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Salt nasal drops or sprays
 warm saline mouthwash
Consult your doctor before taking any other medication, especially in the first three months of pregnancy.
constipation
 colas
 post mucus
First aid ointment
 bacitracin
 Johnson & Johnson first aid cream
 neosporin
 porous protein
rash
 benazepril cream
Calamine Lotion or cream
 hydrocortisone ointment
 oatmeal bath (Aveeno)
*Note: any medication used during pregnancy cannot be considered 100% safe.

In the treatment of ulcerative colitis, Bristol Myers Squibb S1P receptor regulator has obtained new indications

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) announced in June that the US FDA approved zeposia (ozanimod) 0.92 mg for the treatment of moderate and severe active ulcerative colitis (UC) in adults. The press release pointed out that this is the first oral S1P receptor modulator approved for the treatment of patients with moderate and severe active UC.
This approval is based on the results of a critical phase 3 clinical trial called true north. Compared with placebo, zeposia in the 10th week of induction treatment (18.4% vs 6.0%; P < 0.0001) and at the 52nd week of maintenance treatment (37.0% vs 18.5%; P < 0.0001) significantly increased the proportion of patients with clinical remission and reached the main end point of the trial. At the same time, zeposia achieved a number of key secondary endpoints, including clinical response, endoscopic improvement, endoscopic histological mucosal improvement and so on.
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is characterized by long-term abnormal immune response, resulting in persistent inflammation and ulcer in the mucosa of colon or rectum. Symptoms include bloody stool, severe diarrhea and frequent abdominal pain. Ulcerative colitis has a significant impact on patients’ health-related quality of life, including physical function, social and emotional health, and work ability. Many patients have insufficient or no response to the currently available treatment.
Zeposia (ozanimod) is an oral S1P receptor regulator that binds to S1P receptors 1 and 5 with high affinity. Zeposia reduces the ability of lymphocytes to leave lymph nodes and reduces the number of circulating lymphocytes in peripheral blood. It has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. At present, the mechanism of zeposia in the treatment of ulcerative colitis has not been fully clarified, but it may involve reducing the number of lymphocytes migrating to the inflamed intestinal mucosa.
“Despite a variety of approved therapies, UC patients still have unmet needs and need additional treatment options to help them better manage the disease.” Mr. Adam lenkowsky, head of the U.S. Department of cardiovascular, immunology and oncology of Bristol Myers Squibb, said: “we are very pleased that scientific research in immunology can bring a new treatment option for UC patients with different mechanism of action from existing therapies.”

Bristol Myers Squibb CTLA-4 fusion protein has won priority review qualification from FDA

On August 23, Bristol Myers Squibb $BMY announced that orencia’s listing application for the prevention of moderate / severe acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) in patients over 6 years old receiving unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was granted priority review qualification by FDA.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an effective method for the treatment of invasive leukemia and other malignant hematoma. However, GVHD occurs when donor T cells recognize the patient’s healthy cells as foreign objects and begin to attack. This activation of T cells can lead to severe immune-mediated tissue damage in the host. Skin, liver and gastrointestinal tract are the most common targets. Orencia is a fusion protein composed of CTLA-4 and FC, which can bind and inhibit protein targets involved in CO stimulation, so as to inhibit T cell activation.