The Handoff: Your Week in Neurology News – 3/9/17

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.

— President Trump and House Republicans have finally delivered their Obamacare counterpart, titled the American Health Care Act. Read through a section-by-section summary to help form your own opinions on the controversial take on health care. 

— Roche is attempting to breathe new life into an old Alzheimer’s drug with its launch of a new phase 3 study of gantenerumab in patients with prodromal or mild Alzheimer’s. Investigators hope a much higher dose produces some clinical effect. 

— Telemedicine may be a convenient solution for a digitally-driven patient population, but it doesn’t help cut health care costs.

— More and more prominent hospitals across the US are offering alternative medicine treatments despite little to no clinical evidence backing them.  

— A group of health organizations have released new guidelines to improve youth sports safety, including action plans for brain and neck injuries,  but with so many governing bodies and a lack of resources at the local level, implementing the recommendations will be tough. 

— Eteplirsen’s controversial FDA approval appears to be opening the door for another unproven drug intended to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 

— Are we over-hyping the significance of the microbiome in chronic conditions? 

— A major ethical issue is emerging around the rejection of people with intellectual disabilities like autism being rejected for organ transplants. 

— Researchers have identified how glioma cancer stem cells may impact patient survival. 

— Watch the video below for the latest statistics on Alzheimer’s disease.