The Pituitary World News Podcast

In today's podcast, we talk to Anne Vaslin Chessex, Global Program Leader at Debiopharm International. In this dynamic chat, we explore Debiopharm's innovative three-month formulation of Octreotide for acromegaly, highlighting the science, clinical trials, and patient benefits. Gain insights into drug development, patient-centered approaches, future treatment options, and learn how to participate in the clinical trial. Dr. Vaslin Chessex has a PhD in Neurosciences and currently oversees the global strategy for drug development programs in rare diseases. This is a fascinating talk about the science and expertise behind long-acting formulations, patient needs in acromegaly, treatment challenges, and the specifics on the clinical trial design, sites, and recruitment.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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!

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Leena Shahla to the Pituitary Podcast. She is the director of The Duke Pituitary Program. Today she joins PWN co-founder and medical director of the California Center for Pituitary Disorders at UCSF, Dr. Lewis Blevins, for an in-depth discussion about pseudo-Cushing's syndrome. In the Duke Health web portal, Dr. Shahla says endocrinology captured her heart because it combines medical science with unique challenges. "My passion for solving puzzles drives my deep interest in pituitary disease, the most complex area of endocrinology." You can read more about Dr. Shahla, her practice and background here. This is a fascinating discussion about a complex, often misunderstood condition by two of the leading experts in the field you won't want to miss it. Pseudo-Cushing's syndrome or non-neoplastic hypercortisolism is a medical condition in which people with this disorder display the signs, symptoms, and abnormal cortisol levels. Common causes can include pregnancy, alcohol use disorder, morbid obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, end-stage renal disease, severe major depressive disorder, and poorly controlled diabetes.

Sometimes conversations take interesting turns and often lead to surprising and unexpected discussions. If you're a regular listener of the Pituitary Podcast, you may have caught a few of our live broadcasts where these unscripted discussion are common. Today I'm joined by Risa August, a patient and advocate and a frequent guest sharing her work, adventures and advocacy efforts, for one of those engaging chats. In this podcast we explored the importance of listening. We also discussed the stories that spark the interest needed to capture the attention of people who may know little or nothing about pituitary conditions. With greater awareness, and since early diagnosis is such a game changer with these devastating conditions, perhaps more people will be mindful of the subtle signs that deserve medical attention — and maybe, just maybe, they'll ask the right questions that guide their doctors toward considering a potential pituitary diagnosis sooner rather than later. Here'e another example of this discussion from a recent Grand Rounds Video with physicians and endocrine fellows discussing an acromegaly case. Click here to order the book and learn more about Risa's work.

In today's podcast, we are excited to welcome Dr. Joanna Spencer-Segal, a research assistant professor at the Michigan Neuroscience Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes at the University of Michigan. She joins Dr. Lewis Blevins and me to discuss the promising new treatment options for acromegaly. Our conversation delves into the latest therapies, the challenges faced by practitioners, and the groundbreaking developments nearing final approval that could soon bring more exciting options to those living with this complex condition. You don't want to miss this insightful discussion!

Today's podcast features my chat with Dr. Mario Maldonado, Head of Development and Global Endocrinology atRecordati Rare Diseases. Dr. Maldonado brings a wealth of experience and a great perspective on drug development. He was involved in developing both pasireotide and osilodrostat, two essential compounds used in drugs to treat Cushing's. Listen to this fascinating talk with one of the most dynamic experts in endocrine drug development today. He talks about endocrinology, the science of cortisol production, the art and science of endocrine medicine, and the opportunities for new drugs and therapies in the US and Europe. We also focused on the findings from a Recordati new study, LINC-7, - read more about the study here - potentially leading to new indications (uses) for osilodrostat (Isturisa®). Click here for more information and content on Cushing's and hypercortisolism from Pituitary World News. Now available, Dr. Lewis Blevins new book "Cushing's; a comprehensive guide to understanding a devastating disease". Click here to buy your copy today or click on the book graphic below.

Today's podcast covers my conversation with Jill Sisco, president of the Acromegaly Community, about the recent meetings with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US governmental entity responsible for approving new medications. Our conversation focuses on the original meeting held in 2021 and a recent listening session where the AC provided additional feedback to the FDA. These meetings help ensure the FDA considers patient's experiences, needs, and expectations as they provide drug development guidance to pharmaceutical companies. You can read the original report here. Jill also briefly mentioned during our chat the "Faces of Hope" initiative they undertook a few years ago. Here's a link to that photographic essay. Worth a look!

Today’s podcast is about our super athlete friend Risa August and her new book, “The Road Unpaved.” We first met Risa in 2019 when she came to the Pituitary World News/UCSF patient gathering. We chatted about her experience and and her plans to ride her bike from Canada to Mexico. We followed her herculean effort to ride 1845-plus miles to get from Canada to Mexico on the Pacific Coast Highway, which, as you can imagine, is no picnic for anyone, let alone if you are fighting acromegaly symptoms. It is downright amazing she did it at all. Now, she has written a book about her experience with acromegaly, the ride, and life. Learn more about Risa, her practice, her upcoming plans at Risa Unleashed, read her PWN articles search for Risa or Marisa here, or go to – www.risaaugust.com

In today's podcast, we talk with Giacomo Chiesi, Head of Global Rare Diseases at the Chiesi Group, where he leads a team in developing and marketing treatments for rare and ultra-rare diseases. Chiesi, headquartered in Parma, Italy, is a family-owned enterprise in an industry not known for many family businesses. Chiesi entered the acromegaly space when the company recently acquired Ireland-based Amryt Pharma, which marketed the acromegaly oral drug MYCAPSSA. As you will hear, Chiesi is a fascinating company with a rich history. It is not only dedicated to rare diseases but also has an unrelenting focus on forward-thinking business practices. We talked at length about their initiatives and position on social responsibility, patient centricity, patient care, and environmentally sustainable practices. Learn more about Chiesi, their plans, and current patient support initiatives like Chiesi Total Care. We are truly delighted to bring you this podcast.