In 2016, medical device giant Abbott issued a recall for its MitraClip cardiac device — “a Class I recall, the most serious type,” the FDA said.

“Use of this device may cause serious injuries or death,” an FDA notice about the recall said.

But neither the manufacturer nor the FDA actually recalled the device or suspended its use. They allowed doctors to continue implanting the clips in leaky heart valves in what has become a common procedure.

In a notice, the manufacturer explained, “Abbott is not removing product from commercial distribution.” Rather, Abbott revised instructions for use and required doctors who implant the clips to undergo training.

When it comes to medical devices, recalls can include not only “removals,” in which the device is removed from where it is used or sold, but also “corrections,” which address the problem in the field — for instance, by repairing, adjusting, relabeling, or inspecting a device.

“It’s very oxymoronic,” said Rita Redberg, a cardiologist at the University of California-San Francisco and former editor-in-chief of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. “A recall makes it sound like it’s recalled. But that is not actually what it means.”

Though the FDA and federal regulations call these actions recalls, they might be described more aptly as “non-recalls.” And they have happened repeatedly in recent years. For instance, in addition to other Abbott devices, products made by Medtronic, Abiomed, and Getinge have had recalls that left them in use.
 

Safeguarding the Public

Recalls that leave what the FDA identifies as potentially dangerous products in the marketplace can raise the question: Do they do enough to protect the public?

There are other ways to handle recalls. In announcements about products as varied as crib bumpers, pool drain covers, bicycle helmets, and coffee mugs, the Consumer Product Safety Commission routinely alerts consumers to stop using recalled products and contact the manufacturers for refunds, repairs, or replacements. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regularly advises consumers to bring recalled cars back to the dealer to have them fixed. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA announce food recalls, they routinely tell consumers to return or discard the food.

In some cases, a medical device that is the subject of a recall can be kept on the market safely because there is a simple fix, said Sanket Dhruva, a cardiologist and an associate professor at UCSF who has studied FDA oversight of devices. In other cases, recalls that don’t remove devices from the market can provide unwarranted reassurance and leave the public at risk, Dhruva said.

From 2019 through 2023, there were 338 Class I medical device recalls, 164 of which were corrections and 174 of which were removals, FDA spokesperson Amanda Hils said.

Some products undergo recall after recall while they remain on the market. Products in the MitraClip line have been the subject of three rounds of recalls, none of which removed devices from use.

“When deciding whether a recall warrants device removal from the field, the FDA considers the frequency and severity of adverse events, effectiveness of the corrective actions that have been executed, and the benefits and risks of preserving patient access to the device,” FDA spokesperson Audra Harrison said.

Where recalled devices have already been implanted, “removal” doesn’t necessarily mean removing them from patients’ bodies. “When an implanted device has the potential to fail unexpectedly, companies often tell doctors to contact their patients to discuss the risk of removing the device compared to the risk of leaving it in place,” the FDA website says.

The FDA allowed the recalled MitraClip devices to remain in use “because the agency believed that the overall benefits of the device continued to outweigh the risks and the firm’s recall strategy was appropriate and adequate,” Harrison said.

The FDA reviews the recall strategies that manufacturers propose and often provides input to ensure the public will be protected, Hils said. The agency also monitors the effectiveness of recalls and, before terminating them, makes sure the strategy was carried out, Hils said.

Abbott, the maker of MitraClip, said the device has been proven safe and effective “based on more than 20 years of clinical evidence and has profoundly improved the lives of people living with mitral regurgitation,” a condition in which blood flows backward through the heart’s mitral valve. The condition can lead to heart failure and death.

“With MitraClip, we’re addressing the needs of people with MR who often have no other options,” company spokesperson Brent Tippen said.

Speaking of the MitraClip recalls, Redberg said, “So hard to imagine these are effective actions in protecting patients.”

In 2021, for Medtronic’s StealthStation S7 cranial software, the company and the FDA sent a different message.

StealthStation is an elaborate system of screens and other equipment that guides neurosurgeons using instruments in the brain — for instance, to biopsy or cut out tumors. Drawing from CT scans, MRIs, and other imaging, it’s meant to show the location of the surgical instruments.

In connection with a Class I November 2021 recall, the FDA website said potential inaccuracies in a biopsy depth gauge could result in “life-threatening injury (such as hemorrhage, unintended tissue damage, or permanent neurological injury), which could lead to death.”

The FDA website explained what Medtronic was doing about it.

“The recalling firm will provide a warning and instructional placard to be applied to impacted systems,” the website said. “Until a software update is available, ensure you are following the instructions below to prevent the issue from occurring,” it advised doctors.

In a statement to KFF Health News, Medtronic spokesperson Erika Winkels said the safety and well-being of patients is the company’s primary concern, and certain issues “can be safely and effectively remedied with a correction on site.”

Richard Everson, a neurosurgeon and an assistant professor at UCLA, noted that the 2021 recall allowed doctors to continue using unaffected StealthStation features, a benefit for patients and facilities depending on them.

“But, I mean, then you could ask, ‘Well, why don’t they just disable the view [of the brain] that’s bugged?’” Everson said. “Why would they give you the option of looking at an inaccurate one?”

“That’s kind of a strange solution,” he said.

The FDA lists the 2021 recall as still open, explaining “not all products have been corrected or removed.”

That recall was not the last word on problems with StealthStation. Since then, the manufacturer has submitted adverse event reports to the FDA describing trouble in cases involving various versions of StealthStation.

In a September 2022 case, guidance provided by a StealthStation device was allegedly off the mark, a procedure was aborted, and, when the patient awoke, they “had almost no speech for two days,” according to a Medtronic report. In the report, Medtronic said there was “insufficient information to determine the relationship of the software to the reported issue.”

In a February 2024 case, after brain surgery, an MRI found that the operation “missed the tumor” and that other tissue was removed instead, according to a report Medtronic submitted to the FDA. In the report, Medtronic said that when a company representative tested the system, it performed as intended.

In March 2024, Medtronic recalled versions of StealthStation S8 without removing them from hospitals. The company said at the time that it would provide a software update.

“Software updates are available to correct the anomalies identified in the 2021 S7 and 2024 S8 recalls and are actively being deployed,” Medtronic’s Winkels told KFF Health News in a July email. “While the software updates for the 2021 S7 recall are complete in the US, they remain ongoing in some international regions.”

In June 2023, Abiomed issued an urgent medical device correction for its Impella 2.5 intravascular micro axial blood pump, which supports the heart. In patients with a certain type of replacement heart valve, there was a risk of “destruction of the impeller blades,” which could cause “low flow” and “embolization of the fractured impeller material,” an entry on the FDA website said.

“Clinicians are cautioned to position the Impella system carefully in patients,” the FDA website said, among other instructions.

The updated instructions “provide technical guidance to mitigate the risk of rare complications,” Abiomed spokesperson Ryan Carbain said. There were no product removals and no reports of adverse events “related to product design or manufacturing,” Carbain said.

Another set of medical devices, Cardiosave Hybrid and Rescue Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps made by Getinge of Sweden, have failed persistently, according to FDA records.

The devices — which are placed in the aorta, a major artery, to assist the heart — were the subject of eight Class I recalls from December 2022 to July 2023. All were corrections rather than removals, a KFF Health News analysis found.

In a May 2024 letter to health care providers, the FDA said that, in the previous 12 months, it had received almost 3,000 adverse event reports related to the balloon pumps. It was referring to reports of malfunctions and cases in which the products might have caused or contributed to a death or injury. Of those, 15 reportedly involved serious injury or death, the FDA said.

During the summer of 2023, the FDA noted that “alternative treatments are limited” and said the devices could continue to be used.

But, in May, the FDA changed its stance. The agency advised health care facilities to “transition away from these devices and seek alternatives, if possible.”

“These recommendations are based on our continued concerns” that the manufacturer “has not sufficiently addressed the problems and risks with these recalled devices.”

Getinge sent KFF Health News written answers from Elin Frostehav, the company’s president of Acute Care Therapies.

“There is no question that we would have liked to have solved these issues in full much earlier,” she said.

As a result of the FDA’s May action, the company “immediately paused proactive marketing” of the balloon pumps in the United States, and it is selling them only to customers who have no alternatives, Frostehav said.

“We are working with the agency to finalize remediation and product update solutions,” Frostehav said.
 

‘Known Possible Complications’

Abbott’s MitraClip system includes tiny clips implanted in the heart’s mitral valve and the equipment used to implant them. The apparatus features a steering mechanism with hand controls and a catheter that is threaded through a major vein, typically from an incision in the groin, to place one or more clips in the heart.

Worldwide, more than 200,000 people have been treated with MitraClip, according to an Abbott website.

The 2016 MitraClip recall described cases in which “the user was unable to separate the implantable Clip from the delivery system.”

In a news release at the time, Abbott said it had “received a small number of reports” in which that happened.

Those cases “resulted in surgical interventions to remove the delivery system or replace the mitral valve, and it is expected that any future similar incidents would also require surgery to correct the problem,” the FDA said in a 2016 notice. “There was one patient death in these cases as a result of severe comorbidities following surgery.”

Years later, something similar happened.

In February 2021, a clip was implanted in an 81-year-old patient but the doctor couldn’t separate the clip from the delivery system, according to a report Abbott filed with the FDA. The patient was transferred to surgery, where the delivery system “had to be cut down in order to detach the clip.”

The patient then underwent an operation to replace the mitral valve, and, hours later, the patient was brought back to surgery to address bleeding, the report said.

The patient “coded” the next day and died from an aortic bleed, the report said.

In the report to the FDA, the manufacturer blamed “case-specific circumstances.”

“Cardiac arrest, hemorrhage and death are listed” in the device instructions “as known possible complications associated with mitraclip procedures,” the company said. “There is no indication of a product issue with respect to manufacture, design or labeling.”

The third MitraClip recall, initiated in September 2022, cited an “increase in clip locking malfunctions.”

Most of the reported malfunctions were not associated with adverse outcomes, the FDA said then. Treatment with MitraClip “remains within the anticipated risk levels,” the company told customers.

As with the two earlier recalls, the third advised doctors to follow the device’s instructions. But the 2022 recall identified a contributing factor: the way the device was made.

“Abbott has identified a contributing cause … as a change in the material properties of one of the Clip locking components,” the company said in a 2022 letter to customers.

“Abbott is working on producing new lots with updated manufacturing processing and raw material,” the company wrote. In the same letter, Abbott told doctors that, in the meantime, they could use the devices they had in stock.

Six days later, a clip opened while locked and a patient died, according to a report the manufacturer submitted to the FDA.

“There is no evidence that death was related to the device but it was likely related to the procedure,” Abbott wrote.

Now, almost two years later, the 2022 recall remains open, according to the FDA website, and “not all products have been corrected or removed.”

KFF Health News data editor Holly K. Hacker contributed to this report.
 

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

In 2016, medical device giant Abbott issued a recall for its MitraClip cardiac device — “a Class I recall, the most serious type,” the FDA said.

“Use of this device may cause serious injuries or death,” an FDA notice about the recall said.

But neither the manufacturer nor the FDA actually recalled the device or suspended its use. They allowed doctors to continue implanting the clips in leaky heart valves in what has become a common procedure.

In a notice, the manufacturer explained, “Abbott is not removing product from commercial distribution.” Rather, Abbott revised instructions for use and required doctors who implant the clips to undergo training.

When it comes to medical devices, recalls can include not only “removals,” in which the device is removed from where it is used or sold, but also “corrections,” which address the problem in the field — for instance, by repairing, adjusting, relabeling, or inspecting a device.

“It’s very oxymoronic,” said Rita Redberg, a cardiologist at the University of California-San Francisco and former editor-in-chief of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. “A recall makes it sound like it’s recalled. But that is not actually what it means.”

Though the FDA and federal regulations call these actions recalls, they might be described more aptly as “non-recalls.” And they have happened repeatedly in recent years. For instance, in addition to other Abbott devices, products made by Medtronic, Abiomed, and Getinge have had recalls that left them in use.
 

Safeguarding the Public

Recalls that leave what the FDA identifies as potentially dangerous products in the marketplace can raise the question: Do they do enough to protect the public?

There are other ways to handle recalls. In announcements about products as varied as crib bumpers, pool drain covers, bicycle helmets, and coffee mugs, the Consumer Product Safety Commission routinely alerts consumers to stop using recalled products and contact the manufacturers for refunds, repairs, or replacements. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regularly advises consumers to bring recalled cars back to the dealer to have them fixed. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA announce food recalls, they routinely tell consumers to return or discard the food.

In some cases, a medical device that is the subject of a recall can be kept on the market safely because there is a simple fix, said Sanket Dhruva, a cardiologist and an associate professor at UCSF who has studied FDA oversight of devices. In other cases, recalls that don’t remove devices from the market can provide unwarranted reassurance and leave the public at risk, Dhruva said.

From 2019 through 2023, there were 338 Class I medical device recalls, 164 of which were corrections and 174 of which were removals, FDA spokesperson Amanda Hils said.

Some products undergo recall after recall while they remain on the market. Products in the MitraClip line have been the subject of three rounds of recalls, none of which removed devices from use.

“When deciding whether a recall warrants device removal from the field, the FDA considers the frequency and severity of adverse events, effectiveness of the corrective actions that have been executed, and the benefits and risks of preserving patient access to the device,” FDA spokesperson Audra Harrison said.

Where recalled devices have already been implanted, “removal” doesn’t necessarily mean removing them from patients’ bodies. “When an implanted device has the potential to fail unexpectedly, companies often tell doctors to contact their patients to discuss the risk of removing the device compared to the risk of leaving it in place,” the FDA website says.

The FDA allowed the recalled MitraClip devices to remain in use “because the agency believed that the overall benefits of the device continued to outweigh the risks and the firm’s recall strategy was appropriate and adequate,” Harrison said.

The FDA reviews the recall strategies that manufacturers propose and often provides input to ensure the public will be protected, Hils said. The agency also monitors the effectiveness of recalls and, before terminating them, makes sure the strategy was carried out, Hils said.

Abbott, the maker of MitraClip, said the device has been proven safe and effective “based on more than 20 years of clinical evidence and has profoundly improved the lives of people living with mitral regurgitation,” a condition in which blood flows backward through the heart’s mitral valve. The condition can lead to heart failure and death.

“With MitraClip, we’re addressing the needs of people with MR who often have no other options,” company spokesperson Brent Tippen said.

Speaking of the MitraClip recalls, Redberg said, “So hard to imagine these are effective actions in protecting patients.”

In 2021, for Medtronic’s StealthStation S7 cranial software, the company and the FDA sent a different message.

StealthStation is an elaborate system of screens and other equipment that guides neurosurgeons using instruments in the brain — for instance, to biopsy or cut out tumors. Drawing from CT scans, MRIs, and other imaging, it’s meant to show the location of the surgical instruments.

In connection with a Class I November 2021 recall, the FDA website said potential inaccuracies in a biopsy depth gauge could result in “life-threatening injury (such as hemorrhage, unintended tissue damage, or permanent neurological injury), which could lead to death.”

The FDA website explained what Medtronic was doing about it.

“The recalling firm will provide a warning and instructional placard to be applied to impacted systems,” the website said. “Until a software update is available, ensure you are following the instructions below to prevent the issue from occurring,” it advised doctors.

In a statement to KFF Health News, Medtronic spokesperson Erika Winkels said the safety and well-being of patients is the company’s primary concern, and certain issues “can be safely and effectively remedied with a correction on site.”

Richard Everson, a neurosurgeon and an assistant professor at UCLA, noted that the 2021 recall allowed doctors to continue using unaffected StealthStation features, a benefit for patients and facilities depending on them.

“But, I mean, then you could ask, ‘Well, why don’t they just disable the view [of the brain] that’s bugged?’” Everson said. “Why would they give you the option of looking at an inaccurate one?”

“That’s kind of a strange solution,” he said.

The FDA lists the 2021 recall as still open, explaining “not all products have been corrected or removed.”

That recall was not the last word on problems with StealthStation. Since then, the manufacturer has submitted adverse event reports to the FDA describing trouble in cases involving various versions of StealthStation.

In a September 2022 case, guidance provided by a StealthStation device was allegedly off the mark, a procedure was aborted, and, when the patient awoke, they “had almost no speech for two days,” according to a Medtronic report. In the report, Medtronic said there was “insufficient information to determine the relationship of the software to the reported issue.”

In a February 2024 case, after brain surgery, an MRI found that the operation “missed the tumor” and that other tissue was removed instead, according to a report Medtronic submitted to the FDA. In the report, Medtronic said that when a company representative tested the system, it performed as intended.

In March 2024, Medtronic recalled versions of StealthStation S8 without removing them from hospitals. The company said at the time that it would provide a software update.

“Software updates are available to correct the anomalies identified in the 2021 S7 and 2024 S8 recalls and are actively being deployed,” Medtronic’s Winkels told KFF Health News in a July email. “While the software updates for the 2021 S7 recall are complete in the US, they remain ongoing in some international regions.”

In June 2023, Abiomed issued an urgent medical device correction for its Impella 2.5 intravascular micro axial blood pump, which supports the heart. In patients with a certain type of replacement heart valve, there was a risk of “destruction of the impeller blades,” which could cause “low flow” and “embolization of the fractured impeller material,” an entry on the FDA website said.

“Clinicians are cautioned to position the Impella system carefully in patients,” the FDA website said, among other instructions.

The updated instructions “provide technical guidance to mitigate the risk of rare complications,” Abiomed spokesperson Ryan Carbain said. There were no product removals and no reports of adverse events “related to product design or manufacturing,” Carbain said.

Another set of medical devices, Cardiosave Hybrid and Rescue Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps made by Getinge of Sweden, have failed persistently, according to FDA records.

The devices — which are placed in the aorta, a major artery, to assist the heart — were the subject of eight Class I recalls from December 2022 to July 2023. All were corrections rather than removals, a KFF Health News analysis found.

In a May 2024 letter to health care providers, the FDA said that, in the previous 12 months, it had received almost 3,000 adverse event reports related to the balloon pumps. It was referring to reports of malfunctions and cases in which the products might have caused or contributed to a death or injury. Of those, 15 reportedly involved serious injury or death, the FDA said.

During the summer of 2023, the FDA noted that “alternative treatments are limited” and said the devices could continue to be used.

But, in May, the FDA changed its stance. The agency advised health care facilities to “transition away from these devices and seek alternatives, if possible.”

“These recommendations are based on our continued concerns” that the manufacturer “has not sufficiently addressed the problems and risks with these recalled devices.”

Getinge sent KFF Health News written answers from Elin Frostehav, the company’s president of Acute Care Therapies.

“There is no question that we would have liked to have solved these issues in full much earlier,” she said.

As a result of the FDA’s May action, the company “immediately paused proactive marketing” of the balloon pumps in the United States, and it is selling them only to customers who have no alternatives, Frostehav said.

“We are working with the agency to finalize remediation and product update solutions,” Frostehav said.
 

‘Known Possible Complications’

Abbott’s MitraClip system includes tiny clips implanted in the heart’s mitral valve and the equipment used to implant them. The apparatus features a steering mechanism with hand controls and a catheter that is threaded through a major vein, typically from an incision in the groin, to place one or more clips in the heart.

Worldwide, more than 200,000 people have been treated with MitraClip, according to an Abbott website.

The 2016 MitraClip recall described cases in which “the user was unable to separate the implantable Clip from the delivery system.”

In a news release at the time, Abbott said it had “received a small number of reports” in which that happened.

Those cases “resulted in surgical interventions to remove the delivery system or replace the mitral valve, and it is expected that any future similar incidents would also require surgery to correct the problem,” the FDA said in a 2016 notice. “There was one patient death in these cases as a result of severe comorbidities following surgery.”

Years later, something similar happened.

In February 2021, a clip was implanted in an 81-year-old patient but the doctor couldn’t separate the clip from the delivery system, according to a report Abbott filed with the FDA. The patient was transferred to surgery, where the delivery system “had to be cut down in order to detach the clip.”

The patient then underwent an operation to replace the mitral valve, and, hours later, the patient was brought back to surgery to address bleeding, the report said.

The patient “coded” the next day and died from an aortic bleed, the report said.

In the report to the FDA, the manufacturer blamed “case-specific circumstances.”

“Cardiac arrest, hemorrhage and death are listed” in the device instructions “as known possible complications associated with mitraclip procedures,” the company said. “There is no indication of a product issue with respect to manufacture, design or labeling.”

The third MitraClip recall, initiated in September 2022, cited an “increase in clip locking malfunctions.”

Most of the reported malfunctions were not associated with adverse outcomes, the FDA said then. Treatment with MitraClip “remains within the anticipated risk levels,” the company told customers.

As with the two earlier recalls, the third advised doctors to follow the device’s instructions. But the 2022 recall identified a contributing factor: the way the device was made.

“Abbott has identified a contributing cause … as a change in the material properties of one of the Clip locking components,” the company said in a 2022 letter to customers.

“Abbott is working on producing new lots with updated manufacturing processing and raw material,” the company wrote. In the same letter, Abbott told doctors that, in the meantime, they could use the devices they had in stock.

Six days later, a clip opened while locked and a patient died, according to a report the manufacturer submitted to the FDA.

“There is no evidence that death was related to the device but it was likely related to the procedure,” Abbott wrote.

Now, almost two years later, the 2022 recall remains open, according to the FDA website, and “not all products have been corrected or removed.”

KFF Health News data editor Holly K. Hacker contributed to this report.
 

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

In 2016, medical device giant Abbott issued a recall for its MitraClip cardiac device — “a Class I recall, the most serious type,” the FDA said.

“Use of this device may cause serious injuries or death,” an FDA notice about the recall said.

But neither the manufacturer nor the FDA actually recalled the device or suspended its use. They allowed doctors to continue implanting the clips in leaky heart valves in what has become a common procedure.

In a notice, the manufacturer explained, “Abbott is not removing product from commercial distribution.” Rather, Abbott revised instructions for use and required doctors who implant the clips to undergo training.

When it comes to medical devices, recalls can include not only “removals,” in which the device is removed from where it is used or sold, but also “corrections,” which address the problem in the field — for instance, by repairing, adjusting, relabeling, or inspecting a device.

“It’s very oxymoronic,” said Rita Redberg, a cardiologist at the University of California-San Francisco and former editor-in-chief of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. “A recall makes it sound like it’s recalled. But that is not actually what it means.”

Though the FDA and federal regulations call these actions recalls, they might be described more aptly as “non-recalls.” And they have happened repeatedly in recent years. For instance, in addition to other Abbott devices, products made by Medtronic, Abiomed, and Getinge have had recalls that left them in use.
 

Safeguarding the Public

Recalls that leave what the FDA identifies as potentially dangerous products in the marketplace can raise the question: Do they do enough to protect the public?

There are other ways to handle recalls. In announcements about products as varied as crib bumpers, pool drain covers, bicycle helmets, and coffee mugs, the Consumer Product Safety Commission routinely alerts consumers to stop using recalled products and contact the manufacturers for refunds, repairs, or replacements. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regularly advises consumers to bring recalled cars back to the dealer to have them fixed. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA announce food recalls, they routinely tell consumers to return or discard the food.

In some cases, a medical device that is the subject of a recall can be kept on the market safely because there is a simple fix, said Sanket Dhruva, a cardiologist and an associate professor at UCSF who has studied FDA oversight of devices. In other cases, recalls that don’t remove devices from the market can provide unwarranted reassurance and leave the public at risk, Dhruva said.

From 2019 through 2023, there were 338 Class I medical device recalls, 164 of which were corrections and 174 of which were removals, FDA spokesperson Amanda Hils said.

Some products undergo recall after recall while they remain on the market. Products in the MitraClip line have been the subject of three rounds of recalls, none of which removed devices from use.

“When deciding whether a recall warrants device removal from the field, the FDA considers the frequency and severity of adverse events, effectiveness of the corrective actions that have been executed, and the benefits and risks of preserving patient access to the device,” FDA spokesperson Audra Harrison said.

Where recalled devices have already been implanted, “removal” doesn’t necessarily mean removing them from patients’ bodies. “When an implanted device has the potential to fail unexpectedly, companies often tell doctors to contact their patients to discuss the risk of removing the device compared to the risk of leaving it in place,” the FDA website says.

The FDA allowed the recalled MitraClip devices to remain in use “because the agency believed that the overall benefits of the device continued to outweigh the risks and the firm’s recall strategy was appropriate and adequate,” Harrison said.

The FDA reviews the recall strategies that manufacturers propose and often provides input to ensure the public will be protected, Hils said. The agency also monitors the effectiveness of recalls and, before terminating them, makes sure the strategy was carried out, Hils said.

Abbott, the maker of MitraClip, said the device has been proven safe and effective “based on more than 20 years of clinical evidence and has profoundly improved the lives of people living with mitral regurgitation,” a condition in which blood flows backward through the heart’s mitral valve. The condition can lead to heart failure and death.

“With MitraClip, we’re addressing the needs of people with MR who often have no other options,” company spokesperson Brent Tippen said.

Speaking of the MitraClip recalls, Redberg said, “So hard to imagine these are effective actions in protecting patients.”

In 2021, for Medtronic’s StealthStation S7 cranial software, the company and the FDA sent a different message.

StealthStation is an elaborate system of screens and other equipment that guides neurosurgeons using instruments in the brain — for instance, to biopsy or cut out tumors. Drawing from CT scans, MRIs, and other imaging, it’s meant to show the location of the surgical instruments.

In connection with a Class I November 2021 recall, the FDA website said potential inaccuracies in a biopsy depth gauge could result in “life-threatening injury (such as hemorrhage, unintended tissue damage, or permanent neurological injury), which could lead to death.”

The FDA website explained what Medtronic was doing about it.

“The recalling firm will provide a warning and instructional placard to be applied to impacted systems,” the website said. “Until a software update is available, ensure you are following the instructions below to prevent the issue from occurring,” it advised doctors.

In a statement to KFF Health News, Medtronic spokesperson Erika Winkels said the safety and well-being of patients is the company’s primary concern, and certain issues “can be safely and effectively remedied with a correction on site.”

Richard Everson, a neurosurgeon and an assistant professor at UCLA, noted that the 2021 recall allowed doctors to continue using unaffected StealthStation features, a benefit for patients and facilities depending on them.

“But, I mean, then you could ask, ‘Well, why don’t they just disable the view [of the brain] that’s bugged?’” Everson said. “Why would they give you the option of looking at an inaccurate one?”

“That’s kind of a strange solution,” he said.

The FDA lists the 2021 recall as still open, explaining “not all products have been corrected or removed.”

That recall was not the last word on problems with StealthStation. Since then, the manufacturer has submitted adverse event reports to the FDA describing trouble in cases involving various versions of StealthStation.

In a September 2022 case, guidance provided by a StealthStation device was allegedly off the mark, a procedure was aborted, and, when the patient awoke, they “had almost no speech for two days,” according to a Medtronic report. In the report, Medtronic said there was “insufficient information to determine the relationship of the software to the reported issue.”

In a February 2024 case, after brain surgery, an MRI found that the operation “missed the tumor” and that other tissue was removed instead, according to a report Medtronic submitted to the FDA. In the report, Medtronic said that when a company representative tested the system, it performed as intended.

In March 2024, Medtronic recalled versions of StealthStation S8 without removing them from hospitals. The company said at the time that it would provide a software update.

“Software updates are available to correct the anomalies identified in the 2021 S7 and 2024 S8 recalls and are actively being deployed,” Medtronic’s Winkels told KFF Health News in a July email. “While the software updates for the 2021 S7 recall are complete in the US, they remain ongoing in some international regions.”

In June 2023, Abiomed issued an urgent medical device correction for its Impella 2.5 intravascular micro axial blood pump, which supports the heart. In patients with a certain type of replacement heart valve, there was a risk of “destruction of the impeller blades,” which could cause “low flow” and “embolization of the fractured impeller material,” an entry on the FDA website said.

“Clinicians are cautioned to position the Impella system carefully in patients,” the FDA website said, among other instructions.

The updated instructions “provide technical guidance to mitigate the risk of rare complications,” Abiomed spokesperson Ryan Carbain said. There were no product removals and no reports of adverse events “related to product design or manufacturing,” Carbain said.

Another set of medical devices, Cardiosave Hybrid and Rescue Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps made by Getinge of Sweden, have failed persistently, according to FDA records.

The devices — which are placed in the aorta, a major artery, to assist the heart — were the subject of eight Class I recalls from December 2022 to July 2023. All were corrections rather than removals, a KFF Health News analysis found.

In a May 2024 letter to health care providers, the FDA said that, in the previous 12 months, it had received almost 3,000 adverse event reports related to the balloon pumps. It was referring to reports of malfunctions and cases in which the products might have caused or contributed to a death or injury. Of those, 15 reportedly involved serious injury or death, the FDA said.

During the summer of 2023, the FDA noted that “alternative treatments are limited” and said the devices could continue to be used.

But, in May, the FDA changed its stance. The agency advised health care facilities to “transition away from these devices and seek alternatives, if possible.”

“These recommendations are based on our continued concerns” that the manufacturer “has not sufficiently addressed the problems and risks with these recalled devices.”

Getinge sent KFF Health News written answers from Elin Frostehav, the company’s president of Acute Care Therapies.

“There is no question that we would have liked to have solved these issues in full much earlier,” she said.

As a result of the FDA’s May action, the company “immediately paused proactive marketing” of the balloon pumps in the United States, and it is selling them only to customers who have no alternatives, Frostehav said.

“We are working with the agency to finalize remediation and product update solutions,” Frostehav said.
 

‘Known Possible Complications’

Abbott’s MitraClip system includes tiny clips implanted in the heart’s mitral valve and the equipment used to implant them. The apparatus features a steering mechanism with hand controls and a catheter that is threaded through a major vein, typically from an incision in the groin, to place one or more clips in the heart.

Worldwide, more than 200,000 people have been treated with MitraClip, according to an Abbott website.

The 2016 MitraClip recall described cases in which “the user was unable to separate the implantable Clip from the delivery system.”

In a news release at the time, Abbott said it had “received a small number of reports” in which that happened.

Those cases “resulted in surgical interventions to remove the delivery system or replace the mitral valve, and it is expected that any future similar incidents would also require surgery to correct the problem,” the FDA said in a 2016 notice. “There was one patient death in these cases as a result of severe comorbidities following surgery.”

Years later, something similar happened.

In February 2021, a clip was implanted in an 81-year-old patient but the doctor couldn’t separate the clip from the delivery system, according to a report Abbott filed with the FDA. The patient was transferred to surgery, where the delivery system “had to be cut down in order to detach the clip.”

The patient then underwent an operation to replace the mitral valve, and, hours later, the patient was brought back to surgery to address bleeding, the report said.

The patient “coded” the next day and died from an aortic bleed, the report said.

In the report to the FDA, the manufacturer blamed “case-specific circumstances.”

“Cardiac arrest, hemorrhage and death are listed” in the device instructions “as known possible complications associated with mitraclip procedures,” the company said. “There is no indication of a product issue with respect to manufacture, design or labeling.”

The third MitraClip recall, initiated in September 2022, cited an “increase in clip locking malfunctions.”

Most of the reported malfunctions were not associated with adverse outcomes, the FDA said then. Treatment with MitraClip “remains within the anticipated risk levels,” the company told customers.

As with the two earlier recalls, the third advised doctors to follow the device’s instructions. But the 2022 recall identified a contributing factor: the way the device was made.

“Abbott has identified a contributing cause … as a change in the material properties of one of the Clip locking components,” the company said in a 2022 letter to customers.

“Abbott is working on producing new lots with updated manufacturing processing and raw material,” the company wrote. In the same letter, Abbott told doctors that, in the meantime, they could use the devices they had in stock.

Six days later, a clip opened while locked and a patient died, according to a report the manufacturer submitted to the FDA.

“There is no evidence that death was related to the device but it was likely related to the procedure,” Abbott wrote.

Now, almost two years later, the 2022 recall remains open, according to the FDA website, and “not all products have been corrected or removed.”

KFF Health News data editor Holly K. Hacker contributed to this report.
 

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants carry well-known associations with breast and ovarian cancers in women, which has led to robust clinical guidelines for early genetic testing and risk-reduction strategies. 

Male carriers of BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants also face an increased risk for cancer, particularly of the prostate, pancreas, and breast. 

However, men often fly under the radar. 

Although males represent half of BRCA1/2 pathogenic variant carriers, men are much less likely to receive genetic testing for BRCA mutations. “Most people (including their clinicians) are unaware of their carrier status,” Heather Cheng, MD, PhD, with University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues explained in a comprehensive review on the subject, published in JAMA Oncology. Most are also unaware of “the associated cancer risks, and management recommendations” for BRCA carriers. 

The testing gap in males may exist, in part, because of a “general lack of awareness” that BRCA gene mutations can be passed down to children from both the mother and father, Elisa Port, MD, chief of breast surgery for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, told this news organization.

A daughter can inherit a mutated BRCA gene that puts her at risk for breast or ovarian cancer from her mother’s or father’s family and, similarly, a son can inherit a mutated BRCA gene from either side of the family that puts him at an increased risk for developing prostate and other cancers, explained Dr. Port, director of the Center of Excellence for Breast Cancer at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai. 

Considering family history and genetics on both sides of the family is important when assessing cancer risk in men and women, Dr. Port said. 
 

BRCA Mutations in Men: What’s the Risk? 

Although fewer than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men, when men do carry a BRCA mutation, their risk for breast cancer can increase considerably. The lifetime risk for breast cancer can be as high as 9% in male BRCA2 carriers and up to 1.2% in BRCA1 carriers. 

BRCA1/2 mutations also put men at increased risk for pancreatic and prostate cancers.

For pancreatic cancer, male BRCA1 carriers have a nearly twofold increased risk compared with the general population, with a lifetime risk of 3%. BRCA2 carriers have a three- to nearly eightfold increased risk, with a lifetime risk up to 7%.

Male BRCA1 carriers face a nearly fourfold increased risk of developing prostate cancer and an absolute lifetime risk of 15%-45%. Male BRCA2 carriers have a five- to ninefold increased risk for prostate cancer, with an absolute lifetime risk between 27% and 60%. 
 

When to Test, When to Screen?

Despite the increased risk for several cancers associated with BRCA mutations, many men are not offered genetic testing.

BRCA1/2 genetic testing in men is “ultra-important but underutilized and is an evolving unmet need that the field needs to address,” Kai Tsao, MD MS, medical director of the Medical Oncology Prostate Cancer Program at Mount Sinai in New York City, told this news organization. 

For men considering genetic testing, in Dr. Tsao’s experience, barriers may include fear that insurance may not cover the test and that a positive test may increase insurance premiums, as well as concerns about what the test result may mean for them and their family.

Even for confirmed BRCA carriers, cancer screening guidelines for men vary.

For breast screening in men, there’s limited data to inform guidelines. The National Cancer Center Network currently recommends breast awareness and teaching self-examination starting at age 35 and recommends men with BRCA variants consider yearly mammograms starting at age 50, or 10 years before the earliest male breast cancer diagnosis in the family. 

Data show that screening mammography in men at high-risk for breast cancer yields similar cancer detection rates in men and women, “suggesting mammography screening may be valuable in male BRCA carriers,” the review authors noted. And, in a recent study of men with BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants, most (71%) recommended for screening mammography completed their screening. 

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has similar screening recommendations but focuses only on men with BRCA2 mutations and suggests breast ultrasonography as well as mammography as a screening option.

The larger “issue is the general population doesn’t think of breast cancer when they think of men, which may delay seeking medical attention,” said Melissa Fana, MD, of NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health, who wasn’t involved in the review. 

For pancreatic cancer, guidelines suggest BRCA1/2 carriers be screened for pancreatic cancer starting at age 50, or 10 years before the earliest known pancreatic cancer in the family, although the guidelines vary on the role family history should play.

And for prostate cancer, current guidelines recommend male BRCA carriers begin prostate-specific antigen screening between age 40 and 45 years, although recommendations on screening intervals and start age vary. ESMO recommendations are similar but only apply to BRCA2 carriers.

A male patient with a BRCA1/2 variant is typically referred for genetic counseling as well, Dr. Tsao explained. But “the challenge is that we don’t have a very good healthcare infrastructure right now” to follow through with that, he added. “Oftentimes a patient will wait many months or even more than a year for a genetic counseling appointment.”

To help improve these issues, Mount Sinai recently launched a comprehensive BRCA program for men and women that offers genetic testing and counseling for patients and family members.

Overall, identifying more male BRCA1/2 carriers will “maximize opportunities for cancer early detection, targeted risk management, and cancer treatment for males, along with facilitating opportunities for risk reduction and prevention in their family members, thereby decreasing the burden of hereditary cancer,” Dr. Cheng and colleagues concluded.

Support for the review was provided in part by BRCA Research and Cure Alliance and the Men & BRCA Program at the Basser Center for BRCA. Cheng reported grants from Promontory Pharmaceutics, Medivation, Sanofi, Janssen, royalties from UpToDate, nonfinancial support from Color Health, personal fees from AstraZeneca, BRCA Research and Cure Alliance (CureBRCA) outside the submitted work. Dr. Port, Dr. Tsao, and Dr. Fana had no conflicts of interest.
 

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants carry well-known associations with breast and ovarian cancers in women, which has led to robust clinical guidelines for early genetic testing and risk-reduction strategies. 

Male carriers of BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants also face an increased risk for cancer, particularly of the prostate, pancreas, and breast. 

However, men often fly under the radar. 

Although males represent half of BRCA1/2 pathogenic variant carriers, men are much less likely to receive genetic testing for BRCA mutations. “Most people (including their clinicians) are unaware of their carrier status,” Heather Cheng, MD, PhD, with University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues explained in a comprehensive review on the subject, published in JAMA Oncology. Most are also unaware of “the associated cancer risks, and management recommendations” for BRCA carriers. 

The testing gap in males may exist, in part, because of a “general lack of awareness” that BRCA gene mutations can be passed down to children from both the mother and father, Elisa Port, MD, chief of breast surgery for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, told this news organization.

A daughter can inherit a mutated BRCA gene that puts her at risk for breast or ovarian cancer from her mother’s or father’s family and, similarly, a son can inherit a mutated BRCA gene from either side of the family that puts him at an increased risk for developing prostate and other cancers, explained Dr. Port, director of the Center of Excellence for Breast Cancer at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai. 

Considering family history and genetics on both sides of the family is important when assessing cancer risk in men and women, Dr. Port said. 
 

BRCA Mutations in Men: What’s the Risk? 

Although fewer than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men, when men do carry a BRCA mutation, their risk for breast cancer can increase considerably. The lifetime risk for breast cancer can be as high as 9% in male BRCA2 carriers and up to 1.2% in BRCA1 carriers. 

BRCA1/2 mutations also put men at increased risk for pancreatic and prostate cancers.

For pancreatic cancer, male BRCA1 carriers have a nearly twofold increased risk compared with the general population, with a lifetime risk of 3%. BRCA2 carriers have a three- to nearly eightfold increased risk, with a lifetime risk up to 7%.

Male BRCA1 carriers face a nearly fourfold increased risk of developing prostate cancer and an absolute lifetime risk of 15%-45%. Male BRCA2 carriers have a five- to ninefold increased risk for prostate cancer, with an absolute lifetime risk between 27% and 60%. 
 

When to Test, When to Screen?

Despite the increased risk for several cancers associated with BRCA mutations, many men are not offered genetic testing.

BRCA1/2 genetic testing in men is “ultra-important but underutilized and is an evolving unmet need that the field needs to address,” Kai Tsao, MD MS, medical director of the Medical Oncology Prostate Cancer Program at Mount Sinai in New York City, told this news organization. 

For men considering genetic testing, in Dr. Tsao’s experience, barriers may include fear that insurance may not cover the test and that a positive test may increase insurance premiums, as well as concerns about what the test result may mean for them and their family.

Even for confirmed BRCA carriers, cancer screening guidelines for men vary.

For breast screening in men, there’s limited data to inform guidelines. The National Cancer Center Network currently recommends breast awareness and teaching self-examination starting at age 35 and recommends men with BRCA variants consider yearly mammograms starting at age 50, or 10 years before the earliest male breast cancer diagnosis in the family. 

Data show that screening mammography in men at high-risk for breast cancer yields similar cancer detection rates in men and women, “suggesting mammography screening may be valuable in male BRCA carriers,” the review authors noted. And, in a recent study of men with BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants, most (71%) recommended for screening mammography completed their screening. 

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has similar screening recommendations but focuses only on men with BRCA2 mutations and suggests breast ultrasonography as well as mammography as a screening option.

The larger “issue is the general population doesn’t think of breast cancer when they think of men, which may delay seeking medical attention,” said Melissa Fana, MD, of NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health, who wasn’t involved in the review. 

For pancreatic cancer, guidelines suggest BRCA1/2 carriers be screened for pancreatic cancer starting at age 50, or 10 years before the earliest known pancreatic cancer in the family, although the guidelines vary on the role family history should play.

And for prostate cancer, current guidelines recommend male BRCA carriers begin prostate-specific antigen screening between age 40 and 45 years, although recommendations on screening intervals and start age vary. ESMO recommendations are similar but only apply to BRCA2 carriers.

A male patient with a BRCA1/2 variant is typically referred for genetic counseling as well, Dr. Tsao explained. But “the challenge is that we don’t have a very good healthcare infrastructure right now” to follow through with that, he added. “Oftentimes a patient will wait many months or even more than a year for a genetic counseling appointment.”

To help improve these issues, Mount Sinai recently launched a comprehensive BRCA program for men and women that offers genetic testing and counseling for patients and family members.

Overall, identifying more male BRCA1/2 carriers will “maximize opportunities for cancer early detection, targeted risk management, and cancer treatment for males, along with facilitating opportunities for risk reduction and prevention in their family members, thereby decreasing the burden of hereditary cancer,” Dr. Cheng and colleagues concluded.

Support for the review was provided in part by BRCA Research and Cure Alliance and the Men & BRCA Program at the Basser Center for BRCA. Cheng reported grants from Promontory Pharmaceutics, Medivation, Sanofi, Janssen, royalties from UpToDate, nonfinancial support from Color Health, personal fees from AstraZeneca, BRCA Research and Cure Alliance (CureBRCA) outside the submitted work. Dr. Port, Dr. Tsao, and Dr. Fana had no conflicts of interest.
 

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants carry well-known associations with breast and ovarian cancers in women, which has led to robust clinical guidelines for early genetic testing and risk-reduction strategies. 

Male carriers of BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants also face an increased risk for cancer, particularly of the prostate, pancreas, and breast. 

However, men often fly under the radar. 

Although males represent half of BRCA1/2 pathogenic variant carriers, men are much less likely to receive genetic testing for BRCA mutations. “Most people (including their clinicians) are unaware of their carrier status,” Heather Cheng, MD, PhD, with University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues explained in a comprehensive review on the subject, published in JAMA Oncology. Most are also unaware of “the associated cancer risks, and management recommendations” for BRCA carriers. 

The testing gap in males may exist, in part, because of a “general lack of awareness” that BRCA gene mutations can be passed down to children from both the mother and father, Elisa Port, MD, chief of breast surgery for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, told this news organization.

A daughter can inherit a mutated BRCA gene that puts her at risk for breast or ovarian cancer from her mother’s or father’s family and, similarly, a son can inherit a mutated BRCA gene from either side of the family that puts him at an increased risk for developing prostate and other cancers, explained Dr. Port, director of the Center of Excellence for Breast Cancer at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai. 

Considering family history and genetics on both sides of the family is important when assessing cancer risk in men and women, Dr. Port said. 
 

BRCA Mutations in Men: What’s the Risk? 

Although fewer than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men, when men do carry a BRCA mutation, their risk for breast cancer can increase considerably. The lifetime risk for breast cancer can be as high as 9% in male BRCA2 carriers and up to 1.2% in BRCA1 carriers. 

BRCA1/2 mutations also put men at increased risk for pancreatic and prostate cancers.

For pancreatic cancer, male BRCA1 carriers have a nearly twofold increased risk compared with the general population, with a lifetime risk of 3%. BRCA2 carriers have a three- to nearly eightfold increased risk, with a lifetime risk up to 7%.

Male BRCA1 carriers face a nearly fourfold increased risk of developing prostate cancer and an absolute lifetime risk of 15%-45%. Male BRCA2 carriers have a five- to ninefold increased risk for prostate cancer, with an absolute lifetime risk between 27% and 60%. 
 

When to Test, When to Screen?

Despite the increased risk for several cancers associated with BRCA mutations, many men are not offered genetic testing.

BRCA1/2 genetic testing in men is “ultra-important but underutilized and is an evolving unmet need that the field needs to address,” Kai Tsao, MD MS, medical director of the Medical Oncology Prostate Cancer Program at Mount Sinai in New York City, told this news organization. 

For men considering genetic testing, in Dr. Tsao’s experience, barriers may include fear that insurance may not cover the test and that a positive test may increase insurance premiums, as well as concerns about what the test result may mean for them and their family.

Even for confirmed BRCA carriers, cancer screening guidelines for men vary.

For breast screening in men, there’s limited data to inform guidelines. The National Cancer Center Network currently recommends breast awareness and teaching self-examination starting at age 35 and recommends men with BRCA variants consider yearly mammograms starting at age 50, or 10 years before the earliest male breast cancer diagnosis in the family. 

Data show that screening mammography in men at high-risk for breast cancer yields similar cancer detection rates in men and women, “suggesting mammography screening may be valuable in male BRCA carriers,” the review authors noted. And, in a recent study of men with BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants, most (71%) recommended for screening mammography completed their screening. 

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has similar screening recommendations but focuses only on men with BRCA2 mutations and suggests breast ultrasonography as well as mammography as a screening option.

The larger “issue is the general population doesn’t think of breast cancer when they think of men, which may delay seeking medical attention,” said Melissa Fana, MD, of NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health, who wasn’t involved in the review. 

For pancreatic cancer, guidelines suggest BRCA1/2 carriers be screened for pancreatic cancer starting at age 50, or 10 years before the earliest known pancreatic cancer in the family, although the guidelines vary on the role family history should play.

And for prostate cancer, current guidelines recommend male BRCA carriers begin prostate-specific antigen screening between age 40 and 45 years, although recommendations on screening intervals and start age vary. ESMO recommendations are similar but only apply to BRCA2 carriers.

A male patient with a BRCA1/2 variant is typically referred for genetic counseling as well, Dr. Tsao explained. But “the challenge is that we don’t have a very good healthcare infrastructure right now” to follow through with that, he added. “Oftentimes a patient will wait many months or even more than a year for a genetic counseling appointment.”

To help improve these issues, Mount Sinai recently launched a comprehensive BRCA program for men and women that offers genetic testing and counseling for patients and family members.

Overall, identifying more male BRCA1/2 carriers will “maximize opportunities for cancer early detection, targeted risk management, and cancer treatment for males, along with facilitating opportunities for risk reduction and prevention in their family members, thereby decreasing the burden of hereditary cancer,” Dr. Cheng and colleagues concluded.

Support for the review was provided in part by BRCA Research and Cure Alliance and the Men & BRCA Program at the Basser Center for BRCA. Cheng reported grants from Promontory Pharmaceutics, Medivation, Sanofi, Janssen, royalties from UpToDate, nonfinancial support from Color Health, personal fees from AstraZeneca, BRCA Research and Cure Alliance (CureBRCA) outside the submitted work. Dr. Port, Dr. Tsao, and Dr. Fana had no conflicts of interest.
 

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

People over age 60 who drink alcohol regularly are at an increased risk of early death, particularly from cancer or issues related to the heart and blood vessels.

That’s according to the findings of a new, large study that was published in JAMA Network Openand build upon numerous other recent studies concluding that any amount of alcohol consumption is linked to significant health risks. That’s a change from decades of public health messaging suggesting that moderate alcohol intake (one or two drinks per day) wasn’t dangerous. Recently, experts have uncovered flaws in how researchers came to those earlier conclusions.

In this latest study, researchers in Spain analyzed health data for more than 135,000 people, all of whom were at least 60 years old, lived in the United Kingdom, and provided their health information to the UK Biobank database. The average age of people at the start of the analysis period was 64.

The researchers compared 12 years of health outcomes for occasional drinkers with those who averaged drinking at least some alcohol on a daily basis. The greatest health risks were seen between occasional drinkers and those whom the researchers labeled “high risk.” Occasional drinkers had less than about two drinks per week. The high-risk group included men who averaged nearly three drinks per day or more, and women who averaged about a drink and a half per day or more. The analysis showed that, compared with occasional drinking, high-risk drinking was linked to a 33% increased risk of early death, a 39% increased risk of dying from cancer, and a 21% increased risk of dying from problems with the heart and blood vessels.

More moderate drinking habits were also linked to an increased risk of early death and dying from cancer, and even just averaging about one drink or less daily was associated with an 11% higher risk of dying from cancer. Low and moderate drinkers were most at risk if they also had health problems or experienced socioeconomic factors like living in less affluent neighborhoods.

The findings also suggested the potential that mostly drinking wine, or drinking mostly with meals, may be lower risk, but the researchers called for further study on those topics since “it may mostly reflect the effect of healthier lifestyles, slower alcohol absorption, or nonalcoholic components of beverages.”

A recent Gallup poll showed that overall, Americans’ attitudes toward the health impacts of alcohol are changing, with 65% of young adults (ages 18-34) saying that drinking can have negative health effects. But just 39% of adults age 55 or older agreed that drinking is bad for a person’s health. The gap in perspectives between younger and older adults about drinking is the largest on record, Gallup reported.

The study investigators reported no conflicts of interest.

A version of this article first appeared on WebMD.com.

People over age 60 who drink alcohol regularly are at an increased risk of early death, particularly from cancer or issues related to the heart and blood vessels.

That’s according to the findings of a new, large study that was published in JAMA Network Openand build upon numerous other recent studies concluding that any amount of alcohol consumption is linked to significant health risks. That’s a change from decades of public health messaging suggesting that moderate alcohol intake (one or two drinks per day) wasn’t dangerous. Recently, experts have uncovered flaws in how researchers came to those earlier conclusions.

In this latest study, researchers in Spain analyzed health data for more than 135,000 people, all of whom were at least 60 years old, lived in the United Kingdom, and provided their health information to the UK Biobank database. The average age of people at the start of the analysis period was 64.

The researchers compared 12 years of health outcomes for occasional drinkers with those who averaged drinking at least some alcohol on a daily basis. The greatest health risks were seen between occasional drinkers and those whom the researchers labeled “high risk.” Occasional drinkers had less than about two drinks per week. The high-risk group included men who averaged nearly three drinks per day or more, and women who averaged about a drink and a half per day or more. The analysis showed that, compared with occasional drinking, high-risk drinking was linked to a 33% increased risk of early death, a 39% increased risk of dying from cancer, and a 21% increased risk of dying from problems with the heart and blood vessels.

More moderate drinking habits were also linked to an increased risk of early death and dying from cancer, and even just averaging about one drink or less daily was associated with an 11% higher risk of dying from cancer. Low and moderate drinkers were most at risk if they also had health problems or experienced socioeconomic factors like living in less affluent neighborhoods.

The findings also suggested the potential that mostly drinking wine, or drinking mostly with meals, may be lower risk, but the researchers called for further study on those topics since “it may mostly reflect the effect of healthier lifestyles, slower alcohol absorption, or nonalcoholic components of beverages.”

A recent Gallup poll showed that overall, Americans’ attitudes toward the health impacts of alcohol are changing, with 65% of young adults (ages 18-34) saying that drinking can have negative health effects. But just 39% of adults age 55 or older agreed that drinking is bad for a person’s health. The gap in perspectives between younger and older adults about drinking is the largest on record, Gallup reported.

The study investigators reported no conflicts of interest.

A version of this article first appeared on WebMD.com.

People over age 60 who drink alcohol regularly are at an increased risk of early death, particularly from cancer or issues related to the heart and blood vessels.

That’s according to the findings of a new, large study that was published in JAMA Network Openand build upon numerous other recent studies concluding that any amount of alcohol consumption is linked to significant health risks. That’s a change from decades of public health messaging suggesting that moderate alcohol intake (one or two drinks per day) wasn’t dangerous. Recently, experts have uncovered flaws in how researchers came to those earlier conclusions.

In this latest study, researchers in Spain analyzed health data for more than 135,000 people, all of whom were at least 60 years old, lived in the United Kingdom, and provided their health information to the UK Biobank database. The average age of people at the start of the analysis period was 64.

The researchers compared 12 years of health outcomes for occasional drinkers with those who averaged drinking at least some alcohol on a daily basis. The greatest health risks were seen between occasional drinkers and those whom the researchers labeled “high risk.” Occasional drinkers had less than about two drinks per week. The high-risk group included men who averaged nearly three drinks per day or more, and women who averaged about a drink and a half per day or more. The analysis showed that, compared with occasional drinking, high-risk drinking was linked to a 33% increased risk of early death, a 39% increased risk of dying from cancer, and a 21% increased risk of dying from problems with the heart and blood vessels.

More moderate drinking habits were also linked to an increased risk of early death and dying from cancer, and even just averaging about one drink or less daily was associated with an 11% higher risk of dying from cancer. Low and moderate drinkers were most at risk if they also had health problems or experienced socioeconomic factors like living in less affluent neighborhoods.

The findings also suggested the potential that mostly drinking wine, or drinking mostly with meals, may be lower risk, but the researchers called for further study on those topics since “it may mostly reflect the effect of healthier lifestyles, slower alcohol absorption, or nonalcoholic components of beverages.”

A recent Gallup poll showed that overall, Americans’ attitudes toward the health impacts of alcohol are changing, with 65% of young adults (ages 18-34) saying that drinking can have negative health effects. But just 39% of adults age 55 or older agreed that drinking is bad for a person’s health. The gap in perspectives between younger and older adults about drinking is the largest on record, Gallup reported.

The study investigators reported no conflicts of interest.

A version of this article first appeared on WebMD.com.

Key clinical point: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and certain other autoimmune diseases (AID) may have an increased risk of developing psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Major finding: The risk factors for PsA included RA (inverse variance weighting odds ratio [OR_IVW] 1.11; P = .0205), SLE (OR_IVW 1.04; P = .0107), AS (OR_IVW 2.18; P = .000155), Crohn's disease (CD; OR_IVW 1.07; P = .01), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT; OR_IVW 1.23; P = .00143), and vitiligo (OR_IVW 1.27; P = .0000267). However, PsA did not increase the risk for these AID.

Study details: This bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study used genome-wide association data for PsA (3186 cases and 240,862 control individuals and  an additional 5065 cases and 21,286 control individuals), psoriasis, and AID.

Disclosures: This study was supported by two research projects from China. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Duan K, Wang J, Chen S, et al. Causal associations between both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and multiple autoimmune diseases: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study. Front. Immunol. 2024;15:1422626 (Jul 24). Doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1422626 Source

Key clinical point: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and certain other autoimmune diseases (AID) may have an increased risk of developing psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Major finding: The risk factors for PsA included RA (inverse variance weighting odds ratio [OR_IVW] 1.11; P = .0205), SLE (OR_IVW 1.04; P = .0107), AS (OR_IVW 2.18; P = .000155), Crohn's disease (CD; OR_IVW 1.07; P = .01), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT; OR_IVW 1.23; P = .00143), and vitiligo (OR_IVW 1.27; P = .0000267). However, PsA did not increase the risk for these AID.

Study details: This bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study used genome-wide association data for PsA (3186 cases and 240,862 control individuals and  an additional 5065 cases and 21,286 control individuals), psoriasis, and AID.

Disclosures: This study was supported by two research projects from China. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Duan K, Wang J, Chen S, et al. Causal associations between both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and multiple autoimmune diseases: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study. Front. Immunol. 2024;15:1422626 (Jul 24). Doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1422626 Source

Key clinical point: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and certain other autoimmune diseases (AID) may have an increased risk of developing psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Major finding: The risk factors for PsA included RA (inverse variance weighting odds ratio [OR_IVW] 1.11; P = .0205), SLE (OR_IVW 1.04; P = .0107), AS (OR_IVW 2.18; P = .000155), Crohn's disease (CD; OR_IVW 1.07; P = .01), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT; OR_IVW 1.23; P = .00143), and vitiligo (OR_IVW 1.27; P = .0000267). However, PsA did not increase the risk for these AID.

Study details: This bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study used genome-wide association data for PsA (3186 cases and 240,862 control individuals and  an additional 5065 cases and 21,286 control individuals), psoriasis, and AID.

Disclosures: This study was supported by two research projects from China. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Duan K, Wang J, Chen S, et al. Causal associations between both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and multiple autoimmune diseases: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study. Front. Immunol. 2024;15:1422626 (Jul 24). Doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1422626 Source

Key clinical point: The second proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint of the right hand and the right knee joint were the most affected in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), particularly in those with older age and an earlier onset of PsA.

Major finding: The second PIP joint of the right hand had the greatest prevalence of swelling (18.9%), and the right knee joint had the highest prevalence of tenderness (24.2%). Older age was a risk factor, whereas an earlier onset of PsA was a protective factor for both swelling of the second PIP joint of the right hand and tenderness of right knee joint (P < .05 for all).

Study details: This cross-sectional study included 264 patients with PsA.

Disclosures: This study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The authors did not declare any conflicts of interest.

Source: Li J, Xiao J, Xie X, et al. Individual joints involvement pattern in psoriatic arthritis: A cross-sectional study in China. J Dermatol. 2024 (Jul 12). Doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.17369 Source

Key clinical point: The second proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint of the right hand and the right knee joint were the most affected in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), particularly in those with older age and an earlier onset of PsA.

Major finding: The second PIP joint of the right hand had the greatest prevalence of swelling (18.9%), and the right knee joint had the highest prevalence of tenderness (24.2%). Older age was a risk factor, whereas an earlier onset of PsA was a protective factor for both swelling of the second PIP joint of the right hand and tenderness of right knee joint (P < .05 for all).

Study details: This cross-sectional study included 264 patients with PsA.

Disclosures: This study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The authors did not declare any conflicts of interest.

Source: Li J, Xiao J, Xie X, et al. Individual joints involvement pattern in psoriatic arthritis: A cross-sectional study in China. J Dermatol. 2024 (Jul 12). Doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.17369 Source

Key clinical point: The second proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint of the right hand and the right knee joint were the most affected in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), particularly in those with older age and an earlier onset of PsA.

Major finding: The second PIP joint of the right hand had the greatest prevalence of swelling (18.9%), and the right knee joint had the highest prevalence of tenderness (24.2%). Older age was a risk factor, whereas an earlier onset of PsA was a protective factor for both swelling of the second PIP joint of the right hand and tenderness of right knee joint (P < .05 for all).

Study details: This cross-sectional study included 264 patients with PsA.

Disclosures: This study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The authors did not declare any conflicts of interest.

Source: Li J, Xiao J, Xie X, et al. Individual joints involvement pattern in psoriatic arthritis: A cross-sectional study in China. J Dermatol. 2024 (Jul 12). Doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.17369 Source

Key clinical point: A dose of 160 mg bimekizumab every 4 weeks demonstrated greater long-term efficacy than 45 or 90 mg ustekinumab every 12 weeks in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who were biologic-naïve or showed inadequate response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi-IR).

Major finding: At week 52, both biologic-naive (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.33; P < .001) and TNFi-IR (aOR 9.85; P < .001) patients receiving bimekizumab vs 45 mg ustekinumab were more likely to achieve ≥70% improvement in the American College of Rheumatology response, with similar effect observed for bimekizumab vs 90 mg ustekinumab.

Study details: This was matching-adjusted indirect comparison of data from several phase 3 trials of bimekizumab (BE OPTIMAL, BE COMPLETE, and BE VITAL) and ustekinumab (PSUMMIT1 and PSUMMIT2). The trials involved patients with PsA who received bimekizumab (n = 698) or ustekinumab (45 mg: n = 265; 90 mg: n = 262).

Disclosures: This study was sponsored by UCB Pharma and supported by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, UK. Three authors declared being employees and shareholders of UCB Pharma. Several authors declared having ties with various sources, including UCB Pharma.

Source: Mease PJ, Warren RB, Nash P, et al. Comparative effectiveness of bimekizumab and ustekinumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis at 52 weeks assessed using a matching-adjusted indirect comparison. Rheumatol Ther. 2024 (Aug 9). Doi: 10.1007/s40744-024-00705-x Source

Key clinical point: A dose of 160 mg bimekizumab every 4 weeks demonstrated greater long-term efficacy than 45 or 90 mg ustekinumab every 12 weeks in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who were biologic-naïve or showed inadequate response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi-IR).

Major finding: At week 52, both biologic-naive (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.33; P < .001) and TNFi-IR (aOR 9.85; P < .001) patients receiving bimekizumab vs 45 mg ustekinumab were more likely to achieve ≥70% improvement in the American College of Rheumatology response, with similar effect observed for bimekizumab vs 90 mg ustekinumab.

Study details: This was matching-adjusted indirect comparison of data from several phase 3 trials of bimekizumab (BE OPTIMAL, BE COMPLETE, and BE VITAL) and ustekinumab (PSUMMIT1 and PSUMMIT2). The trials involved patients with PsA who received bimekizumab (n = 698) or ustekinumab (45 mg: n = 265; 90 mg: n = 262).

Disclosures: This study was sponsored by UCB Pharma and supported by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, UK. Three authors declared being employees and shareholders of UCB Pharma. Several authors declared having ties with various sources, including UCB Pharma.

Source: Mease PJ, Warren RB, Nash P, et al. Comparative effectiveness of bimekizumab and ustekinumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis at 52 weeks assessed using a matching-adjusted indirect comparison. Rheumatol Ther. 2024 (Aug 9). Doi: 10.1007/s40744-024-00705-x Source

Key clinical point: A dose of 160 mg bimekizumab every 4 weeks demonstrated greater long-term efficacy than 45 or 90 mg ustekinumab every 12 weeks in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who were biologic-naïve or showed inadequate response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi-IR).

Major finding: At week 52, both biologic-naive (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.33; P < .001) and TNFi-IR (aOR 9.85; P < .001) patients receiving bimekizumab vs 45 mg ustekinumab were more likely to achieve ≥70% improvement in the American College of Rheumatology response, with similar effect observed for bimekizumab vs 90 mg ustekinumab.

Study details: This was matching-adjusted indirect comparison of data from several phase 3 trials of bimekizumab (BE OPTIMAL, BE COMPLETE, and BE VITAL) and ustekinumab (PSUMMIT1 and PSUMMIT2). The trials involved patients with PsA who received bimekizumab (n = 698) or ustekinumab (45 mg: n = 265; 90 mg: n = 262).

Disclosures: This study was sponsored by UCB Pharma and supported by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, UK. Three authors declared being employees and shareholders of UCB Pharma. Several authors declared having ties with various sources, including UCB Pharma.

Source: Mease PJ, Warren RB, Nash P, et al. Comparative effectiveness of bimekizumab and ustekinumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis at 52 weeks assessed using a matching-adjusted indirect comparison. Rheumatol Ther. 2024 (Aug 9). Doi: 10.1007/s40744-024-00705-x Source

Key clinical point: First-line targeted therapy, particularly use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), reduced the use of symptomatic treatments, methotrexate, mood disorder treatments, hospitalizations, and sick leave in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Major finding: First-line targeted therapy significantly reduced the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID; −15%), prednisone (−9%), methotrexate (−15%), mood disorder treatments (−2%), and rate of hospitalizations (−12%) and sick leave (−4%; all P < 10^-4). TNFi showed greater reductions in NSAID (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.04; 95% CI 1.01-1.07) and prednisone use (aOR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02-1.06) compared with interleukin 17 inhibitors (IL17i), with similar outcomes for IL12/23i.

Study details: This cohort study included 9793 patients with PsA age ≥18 years who had initiated targeted therapies for at least 9 months.

Disclosures: The authors did not declare any specific funding. Two authors declared receiving a subsidy to attend a congress or receiving consulting fees and serving as investigators for various sources.

Source: Pina Vegas L, Iggui S, Sbidian E, Claudepierre P. Impact of initiation of targeted therapy on the use of psoriatic arthritis-related treatments and healthcare consumption: A cohort study of 9793 patients from the French health insurance database (SNDS). RMD Open. 2024;10:e004631 (Aug 7). Doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2024-004631 Source

Key clinical point: First-line targeted therapy, particularly use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), reduced the use of symptomatic treatments, methotrexate, mood disorder treatments, hospitalizations, and sick leave in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Major finding: First-line targeted therapy significantly reduced the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID; −15%), prednisone (−9%), methotrexate (−15%), mood disorder treatments (−2%), and rate of hospitalizations (−12%) and sick leave (−4%; all P < 10^-4). TNFi showed greater reductions in NSAID (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.04; 95% CI 1.01-1.07) and prednisone use (aOR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02-1.06) compared with interleukin 17 inhibitors (IL17i), with similar outcomes for IL12/23i.

Study details: This cohort study included 9793 patients with PsA age ≥18 years who had initiated targeted therapies for at least 9 months.

Disclosures: The authors did not declare any specific funding. Two authors declared receiving a subsidy to attend a congress or receiving consulting fees and serving as investigators for various sources.

Source: Pina Vegas L, Iggui S, Sbidian E, Claudepierre P. Impact of initiation of targeted therapy on the use of psoriatic arthritis-related treatments and healthcare consumption: A cohort study of 9793 patients from the French health insurance database (SNDS). RMD Open. 2024;10:e004631 (Aug 7). Doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2024-004631 Source

Key clinical point: First-line targeted therapy, particularly use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), reduced the use of symptomatic treatments, methotrexate, mood disorder treatments, hospitalizations, and sick leave in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Major finding: First-line targeted therapy significantly reduced the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID; −15%), prednisone (−9%), methotrexate (−15%), mood disorder treatments (−2%), and rate of hospitalizations (−12%) and sick leave (−4%; all P < 10^-4). TNFi showed greater reductions in NSAID (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.04; 95% CI 1.01-1.07) and prednisone use (aOR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02-1.06) compared with interleukin 17 inhibitors (IL17i), with similar outcomes for IL12/23i.

Study details: This cohort study included 9793 patients with PsA age ≥18 years who had initiated targeted therapies for at least 9 months.

Disclosures: The authors did not declare any specific funding. Two authors declared receiving a subsidy to attend a congress or receiving consulting fees and serving as investigators for various sources.

Source: Pina Vegas L, Iggui S, Sbidian E, Claudepierre P. Impact of initiation of targeted therapy on the use of psoriatic arthritis-related treatments and healthcare consumption: A cohort study of 9793 patients from the French health insurance database (SNDS). RMD Open. 2024;10:e004631 (Aug 7). Doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2024-004631 Source

Key clinical point: Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who achieved disease control despite having an inadequate response to conventional synthetic or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (cs/bDMARD) showed improved patient-reported outcomes (PRO).

Major finding: At week 104, patients who did vs did not achieve minimal disease activity had significant improvements in the Health Assessment Questionnaire–Disability Index (least squares mean change from baseline [Δ] −0.82 vs −0.17; P ≤ .0001), pain (Δ −4.75 vs −1.77; P ≤ .0001), and other investigated PRO.

Study details: This post hoc analysis of two phase 3 trials, SELECT-PsA 1 and SELECT-PsA 2, included 1069 and 317 patients with PsA and inadequate response to ≥1 csDMARD or bDMARD, respectively, who were randomly assigned to receive upadacitinib, placebo with crossover to upadacitinib, or adalimumab.

Disclosures: This study was funded by AbbVie, and AbbVie participated in the design of the trial and the publication of its results. Seven authors declared being employees of AbbVie and may own its stock or stock options. Several authors declared having ties with AbbVie and other sources.

Source: Kavanaugh A, Mease P, Gossec L, et al. Association between achievement of clinical disease control and improvement in patient-reported outcomes and quality of life in patients with psoriatic arthritis in the phase 3 SELECT-PsA 1 and 2 randomized controlled trials. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2024 (Aug 1). Doi: 10.1002/acr2.11714 Source

Key clinical point: Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who achieved disease control despite having an inadequate response to conventional synthetic or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (cs/bDMARD) showed improved patient-reported outcomes (PRO).

Major finding: At week 104, patients who did vs did not achieve minimal disease activity had significant improvements in the Health Assessment Questionnaire–Disability Index (least squares mean change from baseline [Δ] −0.82 vs −0.17; P ≤ .0001), pain (Δ −4.75 vs −1.77; P ≤ .0001), and other investigated PRO.

Study details: This post hoc analysis of two phase 3 trials, SELECT-PsA 1 and SELECT-PsA 2, included 1069 and 317 patients with PsA and inadequate response to ≥1 csDMARD or bDMARD, respectively, who were randomly assigned to receive upadacitinib, placebo with crossover to upadacitinib, or adalimumab.

Disclosures: This study was funded by AbbVie, and AbbVie participated in the design of the trial and the publication of its results. Seven authors declared being employees of AbbVie and may own its stock or stock options. Several authors declared having ties with AbbVie and other sources.

Source: Kavanaugh A, Mease P, Gossec L, et al. Association between achievement of clinical disease control and improvement in patient-reported outcomes and quality of life in patients with psoriatic arthritis in the phase 3 SELECT-PsA 1 and 2 randomized controlled trials. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2024 (Aug 1). Doi: 10.1002/acr2.11714 Source

Key clinical point: Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who achieved disease control despite having an inadequate response to conventional synthetic or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (cs/bDMARD) showed improved patient-reported outcomes (PRO).

Major finding: At week 104, patients who did vs did not achieve minimal disease activity had significant improvements in the Health Assessment Questionnaire–Disability Index (least squares mean change from baseline [Δ] −0.82 vs −0.17; P ≤ .0001), pain (Δ −4.75 vs −1.77; P ≤ .0001), and other investigated PRO.

Study details: This post hoc analysis of two phase 3 trials, SELECT-PsA 1 and SELECT-PsA 2, included 1069 and 317 patients with PsA and inadequate response to ≥1 csDMARD or bDMARD, respectively, who were randomly assigned to receive upadacitinib, placebo with crossover to upadacitinib, or adalimumab.

Disclosures: This study was funded by AbbVie, and AbbVie participated in the design of the trial and the publication of its results. Seven authors declared being employees of AbbVie and may own its stock or stock options. Several authors declared having ties with AbbVie and other sources.

Source: Kavanaugh A, Mease P, Gossec L, et al. Association between achievement of clinical disease control and improvement in patient-reported outcomes and quality of life in patients with psoriatic arthritis in the phase 3 SELECT-PsA 1 and 2 randomized controlled trials. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2024 (Aug 1). Doi: 10.1002/acr2.11714 Source

Key clinical point: Patients who received interleukin-23 inhibitors (IL-23i) and interleukin-12/23 inhibitors (IL-12/23i) for the management of psoriasis had a comparable risk for incident psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Major finding: Patients treated with IL-23i vs IL-12/23i demonstrated no significant difference in the risk for PsA (hazard ratio 0.96; P = .812) and cumulative incidence of PsA (P = .812).

Study details: This retrospective cohort study included the propensity score–matched data of patients with psoriasis age 18 years or older from the TriNetX database who were treated with either IL-23i (n = 2142) or IL-12/23i (n = 2142).

Disclosures: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Tsai SHL, Yang C-Y, Huo A-P, Wei JC-C. Interleukin 23 versus interleukin 12/23 inhibitors on preventing incidental psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis? A real-world comparison from the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2024 (Jul 27). Doi: 0.1016/j.jaad.2024.07.1473 Source

Key clinical point: Patients who received interleukin-23 inhibitors (IL-23i) and interleukin-12/23 inhibitors (IL-12/23i) for the management of psoriasis had a comparable risk for incident psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Major finding: Patients treated with IL-23i vs IL-12/23i demonstrated no significant difference in the risk for PsA (hazard ratio 0.96; P = .812) and cumulative incidence of PsA (P = .812).

Study details: This retrospective cohort study included the propensity score–matched data of patients with psoriasis age 18 years or older from the TriNetX database who were treated with either IL-23i (n = 2142) or IL-12/23i (n = 2142).

Disclosures: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Tsai SHL, Yang C-Y, Huo A-P, Wei JC-C. Interleukin 23 versus interleukin 12/23 inhibitors on preventing incidental psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis? A real-world comparison from the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2024 (Jul 27). Doi: 0.1016/j.jaad.2024.07.1473 Source

Key clinical point: Patients who received interleukin-23 inhibitors (IL-23i) and interleukin-12/23 inhibitors (IL-12/23i) for the management of psoriasis had a comparable risk for incident psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Major finding: Patients treated with IL-23i vs IL-12/23i demonstrated no significant difference in the risk for PsA (hazard ratio 0.96; P = .812) and cumulative incidence of PsA (P = .812).

Study details: This retrospective cohort study included the propensity score–matched data of patients with psoriasis age 18 years or older from the TriNetX database who were treated with either IL-23i (n = 2142) or IL-12/23i (n = 2142).

Disclosures: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Tsai SHL, Yang C-Y, Huo A-P, Wei JC-C. Interleukin 23 versus interleukin 12/23 inhibitors on preventing incidental psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis? A real-world comparison from the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2024 (Jul 27). Doi: 0.1016/j.jaad.2024.07.1473 Source

Key clinical point: Bimekizumab demonstrated sustained efficacy and was well tolerated for 52 weeks, regardless of concomitant methotrexate use, in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who were biologic-naive or intolerant to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi-IR).

Major finding: Through week 52, nearly half of the patients receiving bimekizumab with or without methotrexate achieved a ≥50% improvement in American College of Rheumatology response (biologic-naive ~55%; TNFi-IR ~48-56%) and minimal disease activity (biologic-naive ~55%; TNFi-IR ~47%). The rates of experiencing at least one treatment emergent adverse event were similar across the subgroups.

Study details: This post hoc analysis of phase 3 trials (BE OPTIMAL, BE COMPLETE, and BE VITAL) included biologic-naive (n = 852) or TNFi-IR (n = 400) patients with PsA who received bimekizumab, placebo with crossover to bimekizumab at week 16, or adalimumab, with or without methotrexate.

Disclosures: This study was funded by UCB Pharma and supported by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, UK. Two authors declared being employees of or holding stocks in UCB. Several authors declared having other ties with UCB and other sources.

Source: McInnes IB, Mease PJ, Tanaka Y, et al. Efficacy and safety of bimekizumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis with or without methotrexate: 52-week results from two phase 3 studies. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2024 (Jul 30). Doi: 10.1002/acr2.11727 Source

Key clinical point: Bimekizumab demonstrated sustained efficacy and was well tolerated for 52 weeks, regardless of concomitant methotrexate use, in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who were biologic-naive or intolerant to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi-IR).

Major finding: Through week 52, nearly half of the patients receiving bimekizumab with or without methotrexate achieved a ≥50% improvement in American College of Rheumatology response (biologic-naive ~55%; TNFi-IR ~48-56%) and minimal disease activity (biologic-naive ~55%; TNFi-IR ~47%). The rates of experiencing at least one treatment emergent adverse event were similar across the subgroups.

Study details: This post hoc analysis of phase 3 trials (BE OPTIMAL, BE COMPLETE, and BE VITAL) included biologic-naive (n = 852) or TNFi-IR (n = 400) patients with PsA who received bimekizumab, placebo with crossover to bimekizumab at week 16, or adalimumab, with or without methotrexate.

Disclosures: This study was funded by UCB Pharma and supported by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, UK. Two authors declared being employees of or holding stocks in UCB. Several authors declared having other ties with UCB and other sources.

Source: McInnes IB, Mease PJ, Tanaka Y, et al. Efficacy and safety of bimekizumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis with or without methotrexate: 52-week results from two phase 3 studies. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2024 (Jul 30). Doi: 10.1002/acr2.11727 Source

Key clinical point: Bimekizumab demonstrated sustained efficacy and was well tolerated for 52 weeks, regardless of concomitant methotrexate use, in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who were biologic-naive or intolerant to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi-IR).

Major finding: Through week 52, nearly half of the patients receiving bimekizumab with or without methotrexate achieved a ≥50% improvement in American College of Rheumatology response (biologic-naive ~55%; TNFi-IR ~48-56%) and minimal disease activity (biologic-naive ~55%; TNFi-IR ~47%). The rates of experiencing at least one treatment emergent adverse event were similar across the subgroups.

Study details: This post hoc analysis of phase 3 trials (BE OPTIMAL, BE COMPLETE, and BE VITAL) included biologic-naive (n = 852) or TNFi-IR (n = 400) patients with PsA who received bimekizumab, placebo with crossover to bimekizumab at week 16, or adalimumab, with or without methotrexate.

Disclosures: This study was funded by UCB Pharma and supported by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, UK. Two authors declared being employees of or holding stocks in UCB. Several authors declared having other ties with UCB and other sources.

Source: McInnes IB, Mease PJ, Tanaka Y, et al. Efficacy and safety of bimekizumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis with or without methotrexate: 52-week results from two phase 3 studies. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2024 (Jul 30). Doi: 10.1002/acr2.11727 Source