Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of Nov. 10, 2025–Nov. 14, 2025.
Gene-editing therapy significantly lowers LDL cholesterol in early human trial
The Washington Post (11/8, A1, Johnson) reported, “In a cutting-edge medical experiment, a small group of people who had high cholesterol despite taking conventional drugs to lower it saw significant reductions in two major risk factors for heart disease after receiving a single gene-editing treatment at the highest dose.” The study, which was “funded by CRISPR Therapeutics, is an early-stage clinical trial with just 15 participants, but it represents a step forward in a bold quest to treat common diseases with a one-time treatment that tweaks people’s genes.” The findings were scheduled to be presented at an American Heart Association meeting and were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
NBC News (11/8, Edwards) reported, “The Phase 1 clinical trial of 15 people was intended to show whether the experimental gene-editing therapy was safe to use in humans. It was, the researchers said.” The therapy “was also effective: One infusion of the medicine drove down low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides by about half—an effect that could decrease patients’ heart disease risk for the rest of their lives.”
You may also be interested in: What doctors wish patients knew about high cholesterol.
FDA to remove black box warning from hormone replacement products that treat menopause symptoms
The New York Times (11/10, Rabin) reports the FDA “will remove the so-called black box warning from all hormone replacement products containing estrogen, Dr. Marty Makary, the agency’s commissioner, announced on Monday.” According to the Times, “the labels will be rewritten with age-specific guidance indicating that there are long-term health benefits if treatment is begun within 10 years of the onset of menopause.” The changes, which are “expected within six months, represent a radical turnabout in what women have been told about hormone replacement therapy.”
CNN (11/10, Goodman, Howard) reports, “It could take months for the labels to change, but drugmakers are ‘very excited’ to make the update, Makary said.” Meanwhile, “women’s health experts praised the move to update the boxed warning to reflect newer scientific evidence around menopausal hormone therapy but said individualized discussions of risks and benefits will still be needed.”
The AP (11/10, Perrone) reports, “U.S. health officials said they will remove the boxed warning from more than 20 pills, patches and creams containing hormones like estrogen and progestin, which are approved to ease disruptive symptoms like night sweats.”
You may also be interested in: Understanding when HRT makes sense in menopause.
DASH-style grocery delivery to residents of “food deserts” reduced blood pressure, trial shows
MedPage Today (11/11, Susman) reports, “A program in which Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-style groceries were delivered to residents of ‘food deserts’ reduced blood pressure, but this effect did not continue after the program ended, the randomized GoFresh trial showed.” Investigators found that “among Black adults living in urban communities with a low number of grocery stores at 3 months, mean systolic blood pressure decreased by 5.7 mm Hg (95% CI -7.4 to -3.9) in those who received weekly low-sodium DASH-patterned groceries with dietitian counseling versus a decrease of 2.3 mm Hg (95% CI -4.1 to -0.4) in the group who received three $500 stipends every 4 weeks intended for self-directed grocery shopping (P=0.009).” Additionally, “the DASH group also had reductions in mean diastolic blood pressure (-2.4 mm Hg, 95% CI -4.2 to -0.5), urine sodium level (-545 mg/24 h, 95% CI -1,041 to -50), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (-8.0 mg/dL, 95% CI -13.7 to -2.3).” The findings were presented at the American Heart Association annual meeting and published in JAMA.
You may also be interested in: Sharpen your blood pressure skills to improve patient outcomes—and earn CME.
Global health experts raise concerns about new flu strain
NBC News (11/12, Edwards) reports that as flu season begins, “global health experts are increasingly worried about a new strain of the virus that popped up in June—four months after the makeup of this year’s flu shots had been decided. The new strain, a version of H3N2, is causing outbreaks in Canada and the U.K., where health officials are warning about the early wave that’s sending people to the hospital.” The extent that H3N2 is in the U.S. is currently unknown, as the CDC “hasn’t provided a detailed, national report on flu activity since Sept. 26 because of the government shutdown.”
Ultraprocessed food consumption tied to increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancer, study suggests
CNN (11/13, Rogers) reports that a “first-of-its-kind study adds to the growing evidence by suggesting eating ultraprocessed foods may significantly raise the odds of developing early-age noncancerous colorectal adenomas—growths, or polyps, in the colon and rectum that can lead to cancer.” Researchers observed that “participants with the highest intake of ultraprocessed foods—about 10 servings daily—had a 45% higher risk of developing those growths by age 50 when compared with those with the lowest consumption, a bit over three servings daily.” They noted that “while the risk for precancerous growths increased the more ultraprocessed foods participants ate, the odds for developing serrated lesions—another type of precancerous polyp and the other main pathway for colorectal cancer—did not.” The study was published in JAMA Oncology.
You may also be interested in: Colon cancer becoming more common in people under 50.
AMA Morning Rounds news coverage is developed in affiliation with Bulletin Healthcare LLC. Subscribe to Morning Rounds Daily.
