New oral drug calms abdominal pain; recommendations for syphilis screenings during pregnancy; major health care company files for bankruptcy – Morning Medical Update

Author(s):

Austin Littrell

Key Takeaways

Researchers developed gut-stable oxytocin-based oral painkillers for chronic abdominal pain from gastrointestinal disorders like IBS and IBD.
USPSTF recommends early syphilis screening in pregnancy to prevent congenital syphilis, with public comments open until December 2024.
Wellpath Holdings, serving 200,000 patients in correctional facilities, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to over $644 million in debt.

The top news stories in medicine today.

Oral drug can calm abdominal pain

A new class of oral painkillers, developed by researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ), have the ability to suppress chronic abdominal pain caused by gastrointestinal disorders—including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and irritable bowel disease (IBD)—based on the peptide hormone oxytocin behind childbirth contractions. After previous research revealed that the hormone could effectively treat abdominal pain, researchers worked to chemically restructure oxytocin to make it gut-stable.

“This is a new and highly promising approach to treating gut disorders,” Markus Muttenthaler, associate professor and lead researcher from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, said in a university release. “…We now have a new class of molecules that are potently active but do not degrade in the stomach or intestine, meaning they can be taken orally.”

U.S. Preventative Services drafts recommendation for screening for syphilis in pregnancy

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) posted a draft recommendation statement, issuing an “A” grade recommendation in favor of screening all pregnant people for syphilis as early in pregnancy as possible. If someone has syphilis while pregnant, it can be passed to the baby as congenital syphilis, which can cause serious complications for the child. Public comments can be posted on the USPSTF’s recommendation statement and draft evidence reviews from November 19 to December 23, 2024.

Health care company with 200,000 patients across 39 states files for bankruptcy

Nashville-based Wellpath Holdings, a health care company with 13,000 employees providing medical and mental health care in jails, prisons and inpatient and residential treatment facilities across 39 states, for roughly 200,000 patients, has filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, with more than $644 million in debt. The Miami Herald has more.