TB is the deadliest infectious disease again; the FDA could pull these popular decongestants from shelves; a nanofiber patch to treat psoriasis – Morning Medical Update

Author(s):

Austin Littrell

Key Takeaways

Tuberculosis caused 1.25 million deaths and 8.2 million new cases in 2023, surpassing COVID-19 as the deadliest infectious disease.
The FDA may remove oral phenylephrine from shelves due to concerns about its effectiveness, though its safety is not questioned.
A new nanofiber patch for psoriasis treatment, developed by University of Copenhagen researchers, reduces application frequency and improves patient comfort.

The top news stories in medicine today.

Tuberculosis reclaims title of deadliest infectious disease

October 29, 2024, saw the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) annual release of the Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report, and, according to the report TB found its way back to the top spot, with 1.25 million associated deaths, and 8.2 million people newly diagnosed, in 2023. The 2023 total is down from 1.32 million deaths and 7.5 million people newly diagnosed in 2022, although COVID-19 was still the deadliest infectious disease that year.

“The fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage, when we have the tools to prevent it, detect it and treat it,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general said in a statement. NPR has more.

FDA could pull a popular decongestant from shelves amid concerns with phenylephrine’s effectiveness

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposal to remove oral phenylephrine from store shelves. Phenylephrine is a common ingredient in popular over-the-counter decongestants like Sudafed PE, Vicks DayQuil and Mucinex Sinus-Max. The safety of phenylephrine is not a concern, but its effectiveness has long been questioned. CNN Health has more.

Researchers develop nanofiber patch to treat psoriasis

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have developed a patch for easy and effective treatment of psoriasis, which can also be used to treat other inflammatory skin diseases. Current psoriasis treatment methods involve creams and ointments which must be applied several times per day and leave the skin greasy, causing some patients to refrain from consistent use. The dry patch, however, uses salicylic acid and hydrocortisone to clear dead cells and decrease inflammation of the skin.

“We have developed a dry patch, which contains active ingredients for treatment of psoriasis, and which reduces the frequency of use to once a day. It has the potential to make treatment more comfortable for psoriasis patients,” Andrea Heinz, associate professor and corresponding author of related articles, said in a news release.