At the 18th annual 2020 Medical Innovation Summit, experts led by Will Morris, MD, executive medical director for Cleveland Clinic Innovations, and Akhil Saklecha, MD, director of Cleveland Clinic Ventures, recognized the highest 10 medical advances for 2021.
1. New Thalassemia treatments
More than 330,000 babies are born per annum with inherited hemoglobinopathies like red blood cell anemia, thalassemia, etc. Patients need to undergo transfusion every once in a short time. With the development of newer drugs, the frequency of those transfusions might be decreased.
Also, advancement in bone marrow transplantation has proved to be the sole possible future cure. Scientists are performing gene therapy and gene editing for thalassemia and associated disorders.
2. New drug for primary-progressive multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis may be a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disorder of central systema nervosum. About 15% of these with MS harbor a subtype referred to as primary progressive, which ends up during a slow and steady progression.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ocrelizumab to treat adult patients with relapsing sort of MS. it’s a type of monoclonal antibody given for this subtype.
3. ‘Smart’ pacemakers/defibrillators
A smart pacemaker may be a pacemaker that might be monitored on your phone via Bluetooth. It kicks only when the person’s heartbeat becomes irregular and may be simpler in preventing further heart damage than standard pacemakers which are always at work.
The old-style font pacemakers increase the complications of fibrillation thanks to constant stimulation of the upper chambers of the guts.
4. Updated CF Treatment
Renewed hope came within the sort of wider efficacy of CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators.
Previous iterations of the drug corrected protein action in just a subset of these with the disease, but a replacement combination drug, approved by the FDA in October 2019, expanded efficacy to those with the foremost common CF point mutation (F508 del), which is harbored by 90% of these with the disease.
5. Universal hepatitis C treatment
Hepatitis C might be due to various causes, like liver cirrhosis, cancer of the liver, or liver failure. there’s no vaccine against the virus immediately. Also, any medication against the disease is known to cause more complications and side effects.
Fortunately, newly approved fixed-dose combinations of Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir have proven far better therapeutic options, with efficacy topping 90% in genotypes one through six, opening the door to successful treatment in additional people with the disease. The medication inhibits a protein that plays a key role in viral RNA replication.
6. Bubble CPAP
It is a non-invasive ventilation strategy for newborns with Infant Respiratory Distress Syndrome. It delivers continuous positive airway pressure to newborns to support exhalation lung volumes.
Advantages of this novel approach include safety, protection, efficacy, minimal pressure trauma, and stimulation of lung growth when administered over an extended duration.
7. Leaps in Telemedicine
In present times, thanks to advancements in technology, it’s possible now to consult doctors without even paying a physical visit.
Telemedicine isn’t something new, but thanks to Covid-19, the visits of virtual patients have boomed. it’s safer for both the patient and therefore the doctor during pandemics like now.
8. Vacuum-induced uterine tamponade device
Childbirth is the most memorable experience for tons of females. But 1% to five women experience postpartum hemorrhage which may be a fatal complication. Until now, balloon devices are the sole nonsurgical option for this dreaded complication.
Vacuum-induced uterine tamponade changed all that by creating negative pressure within the uterus to collapse the bleeding cavity and shut off leaking blood vessels. This cost-effective, non-invasive procedure may prove useful in developing countries particularly with limited access to other treatment options.
9. PARP inhibitors
Prostate cancer remains one of the highest causes of death in men across the planet. The PARP inhibitors block PARP proteins that repair damaged tumor DNA in people with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.
They need to be used earlier to treat cancer in women but the FDA approved these drugs to treat mutations and refractory prostatic adenocarcinoma in May 2020.
10. A new class of Migraine medications
Migraines are one of the foremost common problems people face nowadays. they’re generally treated by multipurpose drugs that aren’t specifically targeted to stop the condition. In 2018, a replacement class of medicine that blocks a molecule called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) hit the scene.
CGRP levels increase during a migraine. In 2020, clinicians were prescribing the drug in earnest, signifying a replacement epoch for migraine treatment.
