Parkinson’s News Today (12/19, Wexler) reports, “Nuplazid (pimavanserin) outperformed a placebo at managing psychosis in people with Parkinson’s disease dementia in a Phase 3 clinical trial.” This result “‘supports the maintenance of antipsychotic efficacy and safety of [Nuplazid] in patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia and psychosis,’ the researchers wrote” in Parkinsonism and Related Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Nuplazid effectively treats psychosis in Parkinson’s dementia patients,” Marisa Wexler, Parkinson’s News Today, December 19, 2023

Psychiatric News (12/19) reports, “Over 75% U.S. adults plan to start 2024 with a New Year’s resolution – including 28% who are resolving to work on improving their mental health, according to APA’s latest Healthy Minds monthly poll.” Of the respondents “who want to work on improving their mental health, the most common steps they plan to take toward this goal include exercising more (67%) or meditation (49%). Other actions included seeing a therapist or psychiatrist (35% and 21%, respectively) and journaling (26%).”

Related Links:

— “More Than 1 in 4 U.S. Adults Plans to Make Mental Health a Priority in 2024,” APA Psychiatric News Alert, December 19, 2023

HCP Live (12/15, Smith) reported the FDA “announced that it has approved of newly-required measures related to safety labels for opioid pain medicines, part of a move to support patients’ ability to make better-informed decisions about opioid use.” Announced Friday, “the FDA’s decision is considered to be part of the agency’s Overdose Prevention Framework. The framework outlines the FDA’s commitment to taking actions to prevent overdoses and decrease drug-related fatalities.”

Related Links:

— “FDA Announces Approval of Opioid Pain Medication Safety Labeling Changes,” Tim Smith, HCP Live, December 15, 2023

Healio (12/15, Weldon) reported, “The rate of e-cigarette use increased more than fivefold among adolescents in late pregnancy from 2016 to 2021, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.” In the study, researchers “found that the weighted prevalence of exclusive e-cigarette use during late pregnancy increased from 0.8% in 2016 to 4.1% in 2021, whereas the prevalence of exclusive cigarette use decreased from 9.2% in 2017 to 3.2% in 2021.”

Related Links:

— “E-cigarette use increases among pregnant adolescents,” Rose Weldon, Healio, December 15, 2023

PatientEngagementHIT (12/15, Heath) reported, “About a million Medicare enrollees have opioid use disorder (OUD), but only 18 percent of them received medication to treat OUD, according to a new Office of Inspector General report that illustrates continued medication assisted treatment (MAT) access problems.” The report “also revealed disparities in OUD treatment access, with Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, low-income, and over-65 beneficiaries facing greater challenges.”

Related Links:

— “Medication Access for OUD Abysmal for Medicare Enrollees,” Sara Heath, Patient Engagement HIT, December 15, 2023

HealthDay (12/14, Mundell) says that unintentional firearm injuries “have occurred in American homes hundreds of times over the past two decades, killing 1,262 children, according to a sobering new report” from the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. According to researchers, firearms used in these incidents “were often stored loaded (74%) and unlocked (76%) and were most commonly accessed from nightstands and other sleeping areas.” The report was published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Too Often, Unlocked, Loaded Guns Are Fatal Playthings for America’s Children,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, December 14, 2023

Healio (12/14, Weldon) reports, “More than 60% of 12th graders who responded to a yearly survey of junior high and high school students reported not using alcohol, cannabis or nicotine in the past 30 days – the highest level of abstention in the survey’s history.” Notably, “rates of lifetime abstention … significantly increased in 2023 among 10th and 12th graders and were at or near the highest levels ever recorded by Monitoring the Future, a survey conducted yearly by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.”

Related Links:

— “Survey: More US teens abstaining from drugs, alcohol,” Rose Weldon, Healio, December 14, 2023

Infectious Disease Advisor (12/14, Barowski, RN) reports, “Although HIV infection is associated with increased risk for mental” illnesses, “antiretroviral therapy mitigates this risk,” according to a study. The findings were published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Related Links:

— “Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces Risk for Mental Health Disorders in HIV,” Janelle Barowski, Infectious Disease Advisor, December 14, 2023

Psychiatric News (12/14) reports, “Women who experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors may experience worsening symptoms in the days before and during menses, though the symptom changes vary significantly among individuals, according to a study.” The study found “suicidal planning was more likely to occur during the perimenstrual period compared with other phases of the menstrual cycle.” The findings were published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Suicidal Symptoms May Worsen for Some Women Before, During Menses,” APA Psychiatric News Alert, December 14, 2023

CNN (12/14, Howard) reports, “The first oral pill approved in the United States to treat postpartum depression is now available by prescription, according to the drugmakers.” The therapy, called Zurzuvae (zuranolone), which was approved by the FDA in August and “is now at specialty pharmacies, can also be shipped directly to patients, Biogen and Sage Therapeutics Inc. said in an announcement Thursday.” Notably, “the medication will cost $15,900 per course before insurance, raising some concerns about how many people will be able to access it.”

Related Links:

— “First postpartum depression pill now available in the US, drugmakers say,” Jacqueline Howard, CNN, December 14, 2023