Trending News Today: FDA Declines Approval to Quizartinib for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Officials with the FDA declined to approve Daiichi Sankyo’s quizartinib for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia who have a specific gene mutation called FLT3, Reuters reported. According to the article, the decision follows an advisory committee held in May when experts voted 8 to 3 against the drug’s approval. Several members of the committee concluded that the data presented by the company were not strong enough to support approval and called for further study, the article reported.

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) introduced a bill that would require all insurance plans to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and related services for HIV, The American Journal of Managed Care reported. According to the article, the PrEP Access and Coverage Act would ensure no out-of-pocket costs for patients and would also enhance access for the uninsured. Additionally, the bill would fund a public education campaign to reduce disparities in access to and use of PrEP through education about the drug’s safety and efficacy, the article reported.

New data show that marijuana use among pregnant US women has doubled and is most common during the first trimester, The Associated Press reported. According to the article, 7% of pregnant women in the nationally representative health survey from 2016-2017 said they used marijuana within the past month compared with 3% in 2002-2003. Additionally, first trimester use increased from approximately 6% to 12%, the article reported.