The Handoff: Your Week in Neurology News – 1/26/17

The Handoff is a weekly roundup of neurology news covering various developments in subspecialties, the pharmaceutical industry, and the overall state of health care as it affects neurologists.

— One Washington city is trying to tackle the opioid crisis — by suing the pharmaceutical company that makes them.  

— The FDA has given the “OK” to a generic formulation of Jazz Pharma’s narcolepsy drug, Xyrem. 

— The first MRI-guided laser ablation surgery in a patient with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy has been completed as part of the ongoing SLATE trial.

— Tau pathology may be the reason why so many patients with Alzheimer’s dementia tend to wander. 

— Takeda and Ovid Therapeutics are collaborating to help advance Takeda’s investigational drug for rare pediatric epilepsies. 

— Famed painter Jackson Pollack’s works of art are made up of mathematical patterns that are soothing to the brain. 

— The NINDS has announced the 30 award winners of its inaugural R35 Research Program Award, which will fund research initiatives for at least 5 years. The winners’ research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, neural repair, pain mechanisms, and more. 

— The US FDA has approved Teva’s abuse-deterrent opioid Vantrela ER.

— In an effort to quell a growing distaste with the industry, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a major industry lobbying group, has launched an ad campaign to help improve the image of pharmaceutical companies and their research. Watch the first ad in the “Go Boldy” campaign below.