Trending News Today: FDA Panel Votes Unanimous Support of Rituxan Biosimilar

Celltrion Pharm Inc’s biosimilar of Roche Holding AG’s cancer drug Rituxan received unanimous support from an advisory panel to the FDA, Reuters reported. According to the article, the vote comes after FDA officials found that the biosimilar, CT-P10, was highly similar to Rituxan. In February, the FDA denied approval to the drug citing issues related to certain manufacturing process at Celltrion’s facility, the article reported.

A new study suggests that atrial fibrillation may be tied to an increased risk of developing dementia, but treatment with blood thinners appear to reduce that risk, Reuters reported. According to the article, the study authors followed 2685 volunteers who did not have dementia at the outset, although 9% had atrial fibrillation. The authors determined that atrial fibrillation raised the overall risk of dementia by 40% and the risk of vascular and mixed dementias by nearly 90%, but individuals treated with anti-clotting drugs were 60% less likely to develop dementia, the article reported.

Health officials in several states, including Illinois, Minnesota, and Colorado, are reporting spikes in cases of a rare nervous system disorder called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), the Associated Press reported. According to the article, AFM attacks the nervous system and can lead to arm or leg weakness and loss of muscle reflexes. The CDC has indicated there may be some increases in cases and received information on a total of 362 confirmed cases nationwide between August 2014 and August 2018, the article reported.