In today's podcast, Crinetics co-founders Dr. Scott Struthers and Dr. Steve Betz share their views and experiences in drug discovery and development, revealing what it really takes to bring a new medication from concept to patients. We discuss their recently approved drug for acromegaly, Paltusotine (Palsonify™), along with their pipeline plans for Cushing's disease and congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) Atumelnant. Palsonify™ represents the first drug developed and marketed by Crinetics—a significant milestone for the company. This rare, candid look inside a complex industry offers insights you won't want to miss. Drs. Struthers and Betz are both frequent guests on the Pituitary World News podcast.

In the latest episode of the Pituitary World News podcast, Jorge D. Faccinetti sits down with Dr. Markus Johnsson, Senior VP of R&D at Camurus, to explore the fascinating world of FluidCrystal® technology. This innovative approach promises to revolutionize the way we think about drug delivery, providing long-lasting solutions for chronic diseases particularly for people with acromegaly. Markus shares insights into the development process, the importance of patient feedback, and the future of drug delivery systems. The discussion highlights the significance of sustained release medications and the convenience of self-administration for patients.  Click on the link to learn more about  FluidCrystal®.

En el podcast de hoy hablamos con el Dr. Manel Puig Domingo sobre un estudio innovador que él encabezó y que se describe en un artículo reciente publicado en la revista PITUITARY. El artículo plantea la posibilidad de que los algoritmos de IA y el aprendizaje automático podrían proporcionar un enfoque revolucionario para el diagnóstico temprano de esta enfermedad compleja, cuyo diagnóstico actualmente tarda un promedio de 6 a 10 años. El artículo describe un sistema de reconocimiento facial impulsado por IA, AcroFace, que podría detectar la acromegalia mediante el análisis de fotografías faciales. Estos hallazgos preliminares presentan un sistema con un 93% de precisión. Si la investigación avanza y el programa se valida e implementa, promete ahorrar años de enfermedad no detectada. Sin duda prevendrá el desarrollo de complicaciones de condiciones relacionadas, transformará la acromegalia de una enfermedad incapacitante diagnosticada tardíamente a una condición detectada tempranamente y más manejable sin las molestas comorbilidades, y servirá como modelo para otras enfermedades raras con características faciales.

In today's podcast we talk with Dr. Manel Puig Domingo about an innovative study he spearheaded and outlined in a recent paper published in the journal PITUITARY.  The paper raises the possibility that AI algorithms and machine learning could provide a game-changing approach to the early diagnosis of this complex disease, which now takes an average of 6 to 10 years to diagnose. The paper outlines an AI-driven facial recognition system, AcroFace, that could detect acromegaly by analyzing facial photographs.   These early findings present a system that is 93% accurate.  If further research goes forward and the program is validated and deployed, it promises to save years of undetected disease. It will undoubtedly prevent the development of complications from related conditions, transform acromegaly from a late-diagnosed crippling disease to an early-detected, more manageable condition without the pesky comorbidities, and serve as a model for other rare diseases with facial features.

In today's podcast, Dr. Kevin Yuen, a world-renowned neuroendocrinologist, frequent PWN contributor, and medical director of the Barrow Neurological Institute, discusses Crinetics' new acromegaly drug Paltusotine (Palsonify™). The drug was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Yuen explains how this new medication works and provides an excellent clinical perspective on his views to evaluating new therapies. Read Dr. Kevin Yuen's PWN articles here.

Can Artificial Intelligence make medical research easier to understand?  This AI-generated content (we hesitate to call it a traditional "podcast") was brought to our attention by one of Dr. Blevins' patients, who discovered it in a Facebook patient group. The creator used a well-known AI platform to analyze one of Dr. Blevins' recently published papers on PWN, translating the complex medical language into plain English with more accessible terms and less technical jargon. As you will hear, the platform generated a dialog. The goal was simply to better understand the content.  You can read Dr. Blevins' original paper, "The Evolution of Our Understanding of the Nuances of Pathologic Cortisol Secretion," [here].

After carefully reviewing the AI-generated content for accuracy, Dr. Blevins found that the platform did an excellent job of simplifying the material and making the language more approachable for patients and general audiences. Following thorough consideration, we decided to publish it on PWN—and here it is!

We Want to Hear From You

What are your thoughts on AI-generated medical content? Does this approach help bridge the communication gap between complex research and patient understanding? Please share your opinions with us at [email protected] or comment on this article.

In today's podcast, Dr. Lewis Blevins dives into the fascinating findings from a study by Corcept Therapeutics on the prevalence of hypercortisolism in people with type 2 diabetes. Results from this study, called CATALYST, were recently published by Corcept and presented at various scientific and medical conferences. Dr. Blevins explains the findings and offers his expert insight.

In today's podcast, Dr. Lewis Blevins discusses relacorilant, a drug currently in development by Corcept Therapeutics for the treatment of hypercortisolism. Clinical trials to date have shown encouraging results, with improvements in blood pressure, glucose control, weight, and body composition. Corcept Therapeutics specializes in developing drugs that modulate the glucocorticoid receptor.  

Stay tuned for the next Podcast on hypercortisolism, diabetes, hypertension and weight management.  

This is a very informative discussion about the new indications of the  Cushing's Drug Isturisa® (osilodrostat) with Dr. Mario Maldonado, who heads global development for endocrinology at Recordati Rare Diseases.  The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the drug for endogenous hypercortisolism (excessive production of cortisol in the body).  If you want to learn more about this fascinating subject, Dr. Maldonado gives us an insider's view of how companies recognize and make decisions to pursue new indications, the intricacies of studying, analyzing, and understanding data, and the advantages that AI may bring to accelerate the development of new therapies.

Our thanks to Dr. Maldonado and the Folks at Recordati for taking time from a busy conference to chat with us.

You don't want to miss this talk!

CAM2029 represents a significant advance replacing cumbersome deep muscle injections with a user-friendly pen device similar to modern insulin and GLP-1 delivery systems. The practical benefits are remarkable: monthly administration, storage at room temperature, and no more traveling with cooling equipment. These improvements may seem incremental to outsiders, but for patients managing acromegaly, they represent important quality-of-life enhancements. But I'll let Fredrik and the Camurus team tell you all about it in this podcast.

I met Dr. Tiberg at his new offices, toured the lab, and had a fantastic chat about the new drugs and the challenges and opportunities for people with rare diseases, and, importantly, for those working to make their lives a little bit better. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did producing it.