Tim Smith joined the MJH Life Sciences team in 2022 and is currently an associate editor for HCPLive. He is also the executive producer of two podcasts: Skin of Color Savvy and The Medical Sisterhood. Previously, he was the producer of the Lungcast podcast. He graduated from UC Berkeley and worked in multimedia journalism as a staff writer prior to joining MJH. You can contact him at tsmith@mjhlifesciences.com.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has issued its first-ever guidelines focused on both prevention and management of 

 in pediatric patients, underscoring various distinctions in dosing, care considerations, and safety compared to those of adults.

Released in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, these new recommendations were developed through the work of a multidisciplinary expert panel. They were designed to help guide clinicians in dermatology who treat atopic dermatitis, a condition known to impact up to 25% of children worldwide.

“These updated AAD pediatric [atopic dermatitis] guidelines feel genuinely practice-changing because they reflect a real evolution in how we think about disease burden, treatment goals, and when to escalate care,” Mona Shahriari, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, told 

Related to prevention, the AAD’s new guidelines point to limited supporting evidence for most strategies, with dietary, supplemental, and environmental interventions not having demonstrated consistent benefit. Moisturizer implementation was the only approach to be given a conditional recommendation by the AAD for diminishing disease risk in infants and young children.

For treatment, the AAD’s panel provided a set of 26 evidence-based recommendations across the available systemic, topical, phototherapy treatments for this disease. The guidelines helped to reinforce the role of standard treatments for atopic dermatitis such as emollients while incorporating newer targeted agents.

“What feels truly revolutionary is the normalization of systemic therapy as part of standard care for pediatric [atopic dermatitis], not a last resort—paired with a strong emphasis on quality of life, itch, and patient-reported outcomes as core treatment targets, not secondary considerations,” Shahriari said. “That shift matters, because in atopic dermatitis, the skin does not tell the whole story.”

Moisturizers to diminish dryness and pruritus.

Topical calcineurin inhibitors (pimecrolimus, tacrolimus) for addressing flare management and intermittent maintenance.

Topical corticosteroids as first-line therapy for maintenance and flares.

Phosphodiesterase (PDE)-4 inhibitors (crisaborole, roflumilast) to diminish itch and the frequency of flares.

Topical JAK inhibitors (ruxolitinib) for treating those with mild-to-moderate disease.

Topical aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists (tapinarof) to improve inflammation and patients’ skin barrier function.

Biologics (dupilumab, tralokinumab, lebrikizumab) for treating moderate-to-severe disease.

Oral JAK inhibitors (upadacitinib, abrocitinib, baricitinib) for treating moderate-to-severe disease.

Among the conditional recommendations, the following were included by the AAD in their new guidelines:

Bathing followed by moisturizer utilization as part of routine care.

Wet wrap therapy at the time of patients’ flares under clinician guidance.

Phototherapy for more extensive or severe disease.

Recommendations against routine use of systemic corticosteroids were also stressed in the guidelines. The release emphasized reserving them for short-term management of severe flares. Additionally, the panel discouraged topical antimicrobials and PUVA phototherapy in pediatric patients.

“These guidelines move us away from a reactive, topical-only mindset in pediatric [atopic dermatitis] and toward a more modern, proactive, patient-centered approach that recognizes the full burden of disease and supports earlier, more thoughtful intervention when topicals are no longer enough,” Shahriari opined.

American Academy of Dermatology Issues First-Ever Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis Guidelines, Highlighting Prevention Strategies and Effective Treatments. American Academy of Dermatology. April 7, 2026. Accessed April 10, 2026. 

https://www.aad.org/news/aad-issues-first-pediatric-atopic-dermatitis-guidelines

Hadi HA, Tarmizi AI, Jamshed S, et al. The Epidemiology and Global Burden of Atopic Dermatitis: A Narrative Review. Life (Basel). 2021 Sep 9;11(9):936. doi: 10.3390/life11090936. PMID: 34575085; PMCID: PMC8470589.

Articles

New pediatric atopic dermatitis guidance from the AAD delineates prevention and treatment approaches distinct from adults, reflecting evolving goals around symptom control and quality of life. Preventive strategies show limited evidence; routine moisturizer use in infants and young children receives a conditional recommendation. Treatment recommendations span topical, systemic, and phototherapy options, reinforcing emollients and topical anti-inflammatories while integrating targeted agents. Notably, systemic therapy is positioned as standard care for appropriate moderate-to-severe disease, while routine systemic corticosteroids are discouraged.

These new dermatology guidelines represent the first-ever atopic dermatitis-centered guidelines for pediatric patients issued by the AAD.

Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic Dermatitis condition center page, audiences can find a variety of coverage mediums for medical news and updates, including articles, video interviews, podcasts, and breaking news on dermatitis research, treatment, and drug development.

Dermatology

The HCPLive dermatology page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on skin disease. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for dermatologic conditions, and more.

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clinical page is a resource for content on every specialty, disease, and topic available on our medical news site.

First-Ever Pediatric Eczema Guidelines Issued by American Academy of Dermatology

In the first quarter of 2026, a variety of late-phase data, regulatory milestones, and emerging therapeutic strategies helped the dermatology landscape to leap ahead in its evolution. An array of 

 decisions expanded options for treatment across inflammatory and rare diseases, including the approvals of icotrokinra and secukinumab for psoriasis and pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), respectively.

At the same time, new findings presented at the 

2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting

 in Denver highlighted the continued innovations seen in therapeutic development this year, with head-to-head and long-term trial research reinforcing advances in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis care. Beyond clinical and regulatory progress, Q1 also reflected a growing emphasis on advocacy, equity, and physician well-being through 

’s dermatology-focused podcast discussions.

In this review, the editorial team spotlights these key dermatology headlines from 

’s coverage in the first quarter of 2026:

Icotrokinra, an Oral Il-23 Inhibitor, Receives FDA Approval for Psoriasis

In a notable FDA decision from Q1 2026, the FDA approved icotrokinra (ICOTYDE) for those aged 12 years and older living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and who weigh at least 40 kg. Patients deemed eligible for the drug must also be candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. Johnson & Johnson’s announcement suggests the decision marks a first for this oral targeted peptide selectively blocking the interleukin (IL)-23 receptor. The decision introduced a new mechanistic class to the psoriasis armamentarium following the phase 3 ICONIC trial program.

FDA Approves Secukinumab for Pediatric Patients 12 Years and Older with HS

Another Q1 FDA approval was for secukinumab in moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). Secukinumab was FDA-approved for pediatric patients aged 12 and older, making the agent the only IL-17A inhibitor currently indicated for this type of patient. The drug itself is a fully human monoclonal antibody formulated to directly target IL-17A, a key cytokine driving the inflammatory pathways. This FDA approval of secukinumab provides a differentiated biologic option to an area where options for younger individuals with HS have been limited.

FDA Accepts NDA for Bezuclastinib in Non-Advanced Systemic Mastocytosis

Another Q1 FDA announcement was released by Cogent Biosciences, with the company noting the FDA’s acceptance of its new drug application (NDA) for bezuclastinib in adult patients with non-advanced systemic mastocytosis (NonAdvSM), supported by findings drawn from the pivotal SUMMIT trial program. A PDUFA target action date is now set for the drug on December 30, 2026. The FDA’s acceptance of this drug’s application could mark this as the first medication targeting the KIT D816V mutation in this patient population.

Upadacitinib Regulatory Applications Submitted for Adults, Adolescents with Vitiligo

In Q1, both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) received AbbVie’s regulatory applications seeking approval of upadacitinib (Rinvoq) 15 mg once daily for adults and adolescents with non-segmental vitiligo (NSV). These submissions resulted from previously disclosed findings resulting from the Viti-Up clinical trial program. Viti-Up investigators had looked at the safety and efficacy of upadacitinib in those with NSV.

Risankizumab Outperforms Deucravacitinib on Psoriasis Clearance Across Patient Subgroups in Phase 4 Head-to-Head Trial

In data highlighted at AAD 2026, risankizumab (Skyrizi) therapy demonstrated significantly greater clearance of skin versus deucravacitinib (Sotyktu) at the 16-week mark across an array of different patient subgroups, specifically among adults with biologic-naïve moderate plaque psoriasis. These data, resulting from a subgroup analysis of the phase 4 IMMpactful study, helped investigators to extend the primary efficacy findings of IMMpactful.

Sustained PASI Responses Observed Through Week 60 with Zasocitinib, With Melinda Gooderham, MD

Additional phase 3 findings highlighted during AAD pointed to zasocitinib as an oral treatment shifting the medication landscape for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Trial investigators found high levels of skin clearance known to usually be the domain of biologics in these poster data, and these results were described at AAD by investigator Melinda Gooderham, MD, medical director of the SKiN Centre for Dermatology in Ontario, Canada. Gooderham spoke in depth on the pivotal phase 3 LATITUDE trial program.

RADIANT-AD: Rademikibart Effective Over 52 Weeks in Atopic Dermatitis, With Cheng Zhou, MD

Rademikibart in adults and adolescents living with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis was also highlighted at AAD during a late-breaking data session, with the results highlighted pointing to rademikibnart’s use as leading to rapid and clinically significant improvements. Such results were noted to be sustained through 52 weeks. These data, drawn from the phase 3 RADIANT‑AD trial, demonstrated rapid, clinically meaningful improvements in adults and adolescents by Week 16 across all major efficacy endpoints. By 1 year of use, investigators noted a notable majority of those on the drug saw near‑maximal skin clearance and sustained itch control.

ICONIC-LEAD: 1 Year Icotrokinra Data Confirm Durable Psoriasis Clearance, PRO Improvements in Adults, Adolescents, With Jennifer Soung, MD

The phase 3 ICONIC-LEAD trial was discussed by Jennifer Soung, MD, founder and director of Clinical Research at Southern California Dermatology. The data confirmed icotrokinra (ICOTYDE) use as leading to durable clearance of skin. The findings also suggested meaningful patient-reported improvements were observed among adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. A lack of new safety signals were also highlighted through Week 52.

The Medical Sisterhood: Building Influence in Medicine as Women Physicians, With Nastasha Mensikovzka, MD, PhD

Host Mona Shahriari, MD, known for her role as assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine and practicing dermatologist in Connecticut, was joined in this episode of the podcast by Natasha Mesinkovska, MD, PhD, a dermatologist and researcher at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine Department of Dermatology. The pair spoke about visibility, resilience, mentorship, and the art of commanding a room recorded in recognition of Women's History Month.

The Medical Sisterhood: Physician Mom Burnout & Mental Health Strategies, With Jennifer Hsiao, MD

In this episode of The Medical Sisterhood, Shahriari interviewed Jennifer Hsiao, MD, a dermatologist and clinical associate professor of clinical dermatology at Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), during which the 2 held a discussion about visibility, leadership, and building a meaningful academic career in dermatology. Additionally, they touched on the invisible labor faced by female physicians, particularly mothers.

The Medical Sisterhood: Advocacy and Systemic Change, With Kristi Hawley, DO

The January episode of The Medical Sisterhood spotlighted topics such as advocacy, autonomy, and the quiet breaking points many women physicians experience in the world of modern medicine. Kristi B. Hawley, DO, founder and owner of The Derm Institute of West Michigan, spoke with Shahriari in this podcast. Hawley’s journey as a dermatologist, practice owner, and advocate for physicians provided a lens into the systemic challenges faced by clinicians in the modern world.

Skin of Color Savvy: Tackling Colorism in Dermatology, With Seemal Desai, MD, and Pearl Grimes, MD

Skin of Color Savvy: The Art and Science of Treating Patients of Color

, hosted by Skin of Color Society (SOCS) leaders, the show had Seemal Desai, MD, past president of SOCS, as guest host. Desai was joined by Pearl Grimes, MD, a globally recognized expert in vitiligo and pigmentary disorders and founder of the Vitiligo and Pigmentation Institute of Southern California. A nuanced discussion was conducted by the pair on colorism, its historical roots, and its intersection with the clinical management of pigmentary disorders.

Skin of Color Savvy: Why 2026 Is the Year of Skin Equity, With Susan Taylor, MD, Nada Elbuluk, MD, MSc, and Mona Shahriari, MD

 podcast from Q1, guest host Mona Shahriari, MD, led a forward-looking conversation on advancing skin health equity alongside Nada Elbuluk, MD, MSc, board-certified dermatologist and Professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology and Susan Taylor, MD, the Bernett Johnson Endowed Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Skin of Color Savvy: Challenges and Successes in a Dermatologist’s Career, With Nicole Negbenebor, MD

Nicole Negbenebor, MD, clinical assistant professor of dermatology and director of the Skin of Color Clinic at the University of Iowa, spoke about the twists and turns she faced in her professional journey in dermatology. Negbenebor also touched on her clinical interests, her research advocacy, and her commitment to improving care for diverse patient populations.

Skin of Color Savvy: Serving the Underserved in Dermatology, With Abrahem Kazemi, MD

Board-certified dermatologist and director of cosmetics and laser dermatology for Pinnacle Dermatology, Abrahem Kazemi, MD, spoke in this episode of the podcast about his own reflections on the personal and professional experiences forming his approach to dermatologic care, especially for patient populations considered to be underserved. Kazemi was asked about his journey into dermatology and shared about the background that led to his commitment to closing gaps in dermatologic care access.

Q1 2026 brought meaningful late-phase readouts and regulatory momentum that broadened dermatology’s therapeutic toolkit while amplifying equity and clinician well-being initiatives. FDA activity included approval of icotrokinra, a first-in-class oral IL‑23 receptor–targeted peptide for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in patients ≥12 years and ≥40 kg, and secukinumab for moderate-to-severe pediatric HS (≥12 years). Additional milestones included NDA acceptance for bezuclastinib in non-advanced systemic mastocytosis and regulatory submissions for upadacitinib in non-segmental vitiligo.

This review of dermatology news from the first quarter of 2026 highlights key headlines, FDA news, and more.

Plaque Psoriasis

The HCPLive plaque psoriasis page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on psoriasis. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for psoriatic disease, and more.

Q1 2026 Recap: Dermatology News and Updates

Dominic Sisti, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy and the director of the Scattergood Program for the Applied Ethics of Behavioral Health Care. Sisti is also the host of 

, our monthly multimedia series on medical ethics in modern healthcare. 

As consumer-facing artificial intelligence tools become more accessible, some patients are increasingly turning to platforms such as ChatGPT for 

 support. This trend raises ethical, clinical, and safety considerations for psychiatrists navigating conversations with patients who may be using AI in place of, or alongside, traditional psychotherapy.

In this Q&A, Dominic Sisti, PhD, from Penn Medicine, discusses access gaps driving adoption, potential benefits, safety concerns, and the guardrails needed for responsible integration of AI into mental health care.

Watch the full feature on the benefits and dangers of AI in psychiatry, featuring Sisti and practicing psychiatrists 

From an ethics standpoint, how should clinicians interpret the growing trend of patients using tools like ChatGPT as a form of informal psychotherapy?

 It's important that clinicians recognize that the prolific use of general-purpose AI for psychotherapy is a sign that there just really isn't enough access to mental health care. People are turning to these tools because they can't get appointments with psychotherapists, or if their insurance policies don't cover the costs. AI is a very easy, convenient solution when someone feels like they need to talk to someone.

Unfortunately, these…AI platforms aren't really trained to treat people in a way like a psychiatrist might, and so there's very important questions around whether they are safe. First off, how would these AI platforms [respond] to a patient who is indicating they have suicidal ideation or behavior?

There's a lot that needs to be worked out still, but I am actually optimistic that AI can provide a level of support to people who otherwise don't have access to mental health care. It's just that these…AI platforms aren't designed for that. There are platforms now that have been trained and are being designed with this in mind, and they seem to be safer; we'll see.

What point does AI-generated mental health guidance cross the threshold from information into something that resembles clinical care?

 If the AI is pushing back suggestions about medications, about psychotherapy, modalities, etc, it might cross that line. I could see an environment that is HIPAA compliant, where the AI has been trained to provide an elevated level of screening, or even some therapeutic modality, could work well.

Right now, the general AIs don't really have guardrails in place, as far as I know, but there are ones that are… being developed by researchers and psychiatrists…who are trying to train up these platforms to respond appropriately and with evidence-based suggestions. I do believe, however, there really should be a human in the loop on all these types of suggestions so that we can be sure that the individual who's using the platform is getting good information.

What are some examples of these guardrails that are in research?

 For example, figuring out ways to redirect a person who may have suicidal ideation or behavior to appropriate resources. How can we design AIs to recognize that elevated risk and prompt the user to reach out to a loved one, or to call a Crisis Text Line?

There's no real regulatory framework around how these guardrails should be put in place. We need to have [an] age restriction….so that kids aren't in there talking about their own mental health challenges and maybe suicidal behaviors without someone being notified of that.

How should clinicians respond when patients disclose they are following advice generated by AI systems?

 I think in a non-judgmental way. I do think that these platforms offer patients another outlet for processing emotions, and depending on the severity level, it might be perfectly appropriate that they're using the platform, or it might be helpful. It really depends on the case.

If a patient shows up and says, “I've been using ChatGPT exclusively, and it's told me everything I do is right,”…there's probably some counseling that needs to happen there. I do think that when patients have experience with… human psychotherapy…an AI agent could actually add a little bit of another perspective because the patient really understands that it's a machine.

What are the most pressing ethical risks associated with patients using AI as a therapist, particularly for individuals with serious mental illness?

 We're just learning now about all the different potential risks to patients who have mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression. There's been an uptick in what's been called AI-induced psychosis. I think that there is the risk of a patient… having dangerous thoughts and behaviors, and the AI doesn't actually respond correctly, then the AI might actually offer suggestions for killing oneself. We've seen that already.

How should clinicians counsel patients about privacy risk when using consumer-facing AI tools for mental health discussions?

People using them [must be] aware that their data is not really secure. If they're uploading medical information or saying things that are super personal, all those chats can be discovered. If it's a HIPAA-compliant agent, things are a little bit better in terms of privacy.

And what are the most significant gaps in current regulation when it comes to AI and psychiatry?

 If you prompt the AI the right way, you can actually get it to tell you methods of suicide, which should be impossible. In this context, if you're a scholar and you're trying to study suicide, or you're [a] suicidologist, that's different. We need AIs to be able to distinguish between requests for scholarly information versus requests for someone who's really desperate and is looking for that information to use.

What recommendations do you think should be in place?

There’s ways that you can infer age without even asking for age. Being able to figure out if it's a child or a minor and adjusting the chat to an appropriate level, then quickly bringing a human [in] the loop, is critical.

If you could establish one guiding principle for clinicians navigating AI in psychiatry today, what would it be?

If a psychiatrist is working with a patient who is using AI, the guiding principle…is the principle of beneficence. This is one of the four principles of Biomedical Ethics, which is essentially a crystallization of the Hippocratic oath to do no harm, to try to do good.

If the clinician thinks that the AI is adding value to the treatment, then maybe supplementary therapy using an AI seems okay. Those are the questions that will be answered as we learn more about the safety and efficacy, and hopefully, these platforms can be designed in a way that they do add value and are safe and effective.

Sisti discusses ethics, safety, and guardrails as patients use ChatGPT for mental health support and clinicians navigate AI’s role in psychiatry.

Psychiatry

Psychiatry condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on mental illnesses. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and more.

Major Depressive Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into depression can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on MDD research, treatment, and drug development.

AI in Psychiatry Raises Ethics Questions With Dominic Sisti, PhD

Aaron Troy, MD, MPH, is a clinical research fellow in cardiovascular medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Reviewing the Updated ABCs of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, With Aaron Troy, MD, MPH

The ABCs of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Prevention, initially published in 2001 as a method to identify and address the various aspects of prevention for patients and clinicians, has recently undergone a major update.

American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions 2026

 editorial team met with Aaron Troy, MD, MPH, clinical research fellow in cardiovascular medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, to discuss the recent changes and how they can impact 1 of the most prominent disease states in the US.

“This is a profound opportunity for everyone in the United States across cardiology subspecialties and internal medicine to really reconsider and optimize our cardiovascular disease prevention for patients overall,” Troy told 

 in an exclusive interview. “That’s really the impetus for the updated ABCs. They’re a framework for summarizing the core tenets of preventive cardiology.”

Currently, the ABCs of CVD Prevention are broken into 6 main letters, which are in turn composed of 2 recommendations each. The full list is as follows:

Assess CVD Risk (Life’s Essential 8, PREVENT, risk enhancers)

Antiplatelets (consider in high-risk primary prevention, prescribe for secondary)

Blood Pressure (target <130/80 mmHg, close follow-up & home monitoring)

Body Fat (measure waist, assess complications, target >5% weight loss)

Cholesterol (assess regularly in all life stages, consider combination therapy)

Diet (Mediterranean, DASH, plant-based, calorie deficit)

Diabetes and CKM Syndrome (screen with A1c, eGFR, UACR, target CKM with SGLT2i, GLP-1 RAs)

Exercise (>150 minutes/week, resistance training >2x/week)

Extend Healthspan (assess physical & cognitive function, multidisciplinary care, cardiac rehab)

 (Identify & optimize in Stage B HF, GDMT in Stage C HF)

 (anticoagulate for CHA2DS2-VASc ≥2-3, consider early rhythm control)

The new document emphasizes the importance of the PREVENT equations, which were formulated using a larger and more contemporary population than the widely utilized Pooled Cohort Equations (PCEs). The recalibration of these equations resulted in a 10-year risk estimate roughly 40-50% lower than the PCE – this highlights the need for personalized approaches to avoid undertreating patients.

Additionally, Life’s Essential 8 once again takes center stage in CVD, with the health behavior checklist encompassing almost every avenue by which CVD can occur. Patients are encouraged to improve their sleep schedules, exercise regimens, and diet, with specific, targeted goals provided within the framework. Additionally, lipids, glucose, and blood pressure are spotlighted as major contributors to CVD, leading to greater emphasis on their reduction.

Notably, the new ABCs also include the traditionally disease-focused areas of heart failure and atrial fibrillation. The document recommends that clinicians identify patients with stage B heart failure and prevent their progression to stage C, as well as treating stage C heart failure to prevent further hospitalizations and mortality. Atrial fibrillation, meanwhile, is the most common cardiac arrythmia in the US despite modifiable risk factors – the new ABCs encourage clinicians to optimize these risk factors and prevent the increased morbidity and mortality associated with the condition.

Troy also discussed the importance of the updated framework, noting the shortcomings currently facing cardiovascular care in the US.

“The time has come for a new and improved – and sort of streamlined – framework to optimize cardiovascular disease prevention,” Troy said. “The levels of 

 awareness, hypertension control, cholesterol control, really everything is suboptimal on a national level, and with the obesity epidemic driving cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease and population aging, the patient landscape is evolving.”

Editors’ Note: Troy reports a disclosure with the American Academy of Home Care Medicine.

Goren LR, Peng AW, Razavi AC, Blaha MJ, Blumenthal RS, Troy AL. The ABCs of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: Communicating What We Know in 2026. 

American Journal of Preventive Cardiology

. Published online March 20, 2026:101570. 

Lloyd-Jones DM, Allen NB, Anderson CAM, et al. Life’s essential 8: Updating and enhancing the American Heart Association’s construct of Cardiovascular Health: A presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. 

Videos

Troy discusses the recent changes to the ABCs of CVD, highlighting an increased focus on lifestyle interventions and the management of risk factors.

Cardiology

Cardiology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for heart disease and cardiovascular events, as well as associated diabetes, renal failure, and more...

Heart Failure

The HCPLive heart failure page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on HF. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for heart disease, reduced and preserved ejection fraction, and more.

Arrhythmia

Conference

 conference coverage page features articles, videos, and expert-led live coverage from major medical meetings throughout the year.

Strategic Alliance Partnership

Simon Davies, MD, is  a consultant nephrologist at the University Hospital of North Midlands and Professor of Nephrology and Dialysis Medicine, as well as director of the Institute for Applied Clinical Sciences at Keele University.

Expanding Dialysis Access: Policy, Variation, and the Role of Peritoneal Dialysis

The issue of global access to home dialysis is a multilayered problem requiring a multifaceted solution, including policy changes, reimbursement systems, and technological innovation, according to experts from the International Home Dialysis Consortium (IHDC).

HCPLive sat down with Simon Davies, MD, a consultant nephrologist at the University Hospital of North Midlands and professor of nephrology and dialysis medicine, as well as director of the Institute for Applied Clinical Sciences at Keele University, who presented the discussion at the World Congress of Nephrology (WCN) in Yokohama, Japan.

Significant variation in dialysis modality use persists across regions, despite ongoing efforts to expand home-based care options. As healthcare systems continue to explore ways to expand dialysis access, questions remain about how best to increase uptake of home-based modalities such as peritoneal dialysis (PD) and home hemodialysis (HHD).

On the policy front, Davies discusses the implementation of a PD-first policy, where patients are initiated on peritoneal dialysis before transitioning to other modalities. This approach has been used as a tool for healthcare expansion, and has been particularly successful in Hong Kong, which has the highest rates of home dialysis.

The greatest risk with this approach is public perception, Davies explains, where PD use among previously disadvantaged populations can lead to perceptions that it is a lower-quality therapy, particularly when wealthier patients receive in-center hemodialysis. This is primarily a social conundrum, as outcomes data show similar results between modalities. Still, patients strongly value having choice in dialysis modality.

To mitigate this, a more flexible PD-preferred approach may be used, where the system encourages PD but does not require it as a first option. Davies gives an example of where this has worked in Mexico, which preserves patient choice while supporting, rather than mandating, home dialysis.

“Most countries are reluctant to go down those sorts of routes. They would rather maintain the free choices available for dialysis,” explained Davies. “By and large, that’s what I would say is the best approach that we should be going for, supporting people to do home dialysis when they want to do it.”

Locating The Real Problem In Rural Communities

 where Davies discussed the global gaps in at-home dialysis, including system-level barriers, provider biases, and policy misalignment.

Brown EA, Jha V, Bavanandan S, et al. International Home Dialysis Consortium: Declaration Advocating for the Promotion of Home Dialysis Globally. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ekir.2025.03.012

Hillenbrand A. HCPLive. Published 2026. Accessed April 10, 2026. https://www.hcplive.com/view/gaps-in-home-dialysis-access-persist-globally-with-simon-davies-md

Davies explains the future of at-home dialysis access, including policy changes and technological innovation. 

Nephrology

The HCPLive nephrology page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on kidney disease. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments in nephrology, and more.

Chronic Kidney Disease

Nancy Reau, MD, is Professor of Internal Medicine, Richard B. Capps Chair of Hepatology, Associate Director of Solid Organ Transplantation, and Section Chief of Hepatology at Rush University Medical Center.

Experts discuss interpreting genetic testing in liver disease, the role of biopsy, and how to integrate variants into clinical decision-making.

Hepatology

Putting the Pieces Together: Genetic Testing, Biopsy, and Clinical Judgment

Nicole Chase, MD, is a board-certified allergist/immunologist at St. Paul Allergy Asthma, Minneapolis VA Health Care System (part-time), and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Chase discusses how the FDA’s labeling change aligns epinephrine nasal spray (neffy) with other weight-based epinephrine formulations.

Allergy

Allergy condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on allergic and inflammatory diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for food and seasonal allergies, as well as allergic asthma and related conditions.

Anaphylaxis

The HCPLive anaphylaxis page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on acute allergic reactions. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for preventing anaphylaxis, and more.

Weight-Based Dosing Informs Age Removal for Epinephrine Nasal Spray, With Nicole Chase, MD

Alberico Catapano, PhD, is the research director and head of the laboratory of lipoproteins and atherosclerosis and of the lipid clinic at MultiMedica IRCCS.

Catapano discusses the superior reduction in LDL-C, ApoB, and non-HDL-C demonstrated by enlicitide, suggesting its role as an add-on for LDL-C lowering.

Dyslipidemia

Enlicitide Superior to Oral Non-Statin Therapies for LDL-C Lowering, With Alberico Catapano, PhD

Robert Gish, MD, is the Medical Director of the Hepatitis B Foundation in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Las Vegas. He serves as an Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UCSD, a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Loma Linda University. In addition, he is the Medical Director of the American Pacific Health Foundation.

In this segment of Liver Lineup, experts discuss genetic testing in cholestatic disease, highlighting real-world cases demonstrating the value of these tests.

Genetic Panels in Hepatology: Identifying the Right Patients

Victoria Johnson joined MJH Life Sciences in 2020 and has written for NeurologyLive, CGTLive, and is now an assistant managing editor for HCPLive and RheumatologyLive. She doesn’t have enough time for her numerous hobbies. You can reach her at vjohnson@mjhlifesciences.com.

Experts unpack new T2-targeted biologics for severe asthma and eosinophilic COPD, sharing biomarker tips, sequencing debates and payer hurdles,

COPD

COPD condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on COPD research, treatment, and drug development.

Pulmonology

Infectious Disease condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on respiratory health. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease, COVID-19, and more.

Asthma

The HCPLive asthma page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on asthmatic disease. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for allergic and severe asthma, and more.

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