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A new study may add fuel to the fire already burning around avacopan (Tavneos), approved in 2021 to treat anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), which the FDA wants drugmaker Amgen to pull from the U.S. market. (Gever, 8/24)

Cognitive dysfunction in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) -- aka "lupus brain fog" -- was significantly relieved with the Alzheimer's dementia drug memantine in a small placebo-controlled trial. Twelve weeks of memantine treatment led to a median improvement of 8 points on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), compared with a median 5-point increase with placebo in the 43-patient trial (P=0.032), according to Jillian Rhoads, PhD, of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and colleagues. (Gever, 8/25)

People vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) were much less likely to develop cancers of the head and neck, according to a study published this week in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. The study confirms earlier research finding a vaccine-related decrease in head and neck cancers. (Szabo, 8/21)

A novel tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate failed to match the standard bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine in preventing TB infections in newborns, according to the results of a phase 3 trial published last week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 8/26)

A Mediterranean-style diet program did not lead to greater weight loss compared with a control intervention among primary care patients with obesity, though it did improve diet quality, the DELISH trial showed. (Monaco, 8/21)