The Pituitary World News Podcast

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.

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.

In this podcast, Dr. Blevins reviews the side effects of dopamine agonist drugs. These are drugs that activate certain types of cells in the brain to regulate various functions, including hormone regulation, movement, and motivation. Dr. Blevins's discussion focuses on the drug cabergoline and its side effects, citing several research studies. This is a fascinating review of side effects you won't want to miss, even if you don't use or are unfamiliar with cabergoline and its use in treating prolactinomas. For more information on prolactinomas and other pituitary disorders, visit pituitaryworldnews.org. Stay tuned for an upcoming book on prolactinomas, scheduled for release later this year.  While you’re there, browse through the website for more resources and explore our current selection of books on Cushing’s syndrome, diabetes insipidus, vasopressin resistance, and hypopituitarism—available for purchase.  Additionally, a new book focusing on pituitary tumors will be released later this month. Explore. Learn. Stay Ahead. Visit us today!

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.

Today's podcast is about an important Chiesi Rare Diseases initiative to learn more about the psychological, social, and emotional health issues facing acromegaly patients.  We talked to Stuart Siedman, Chiesi's Vice President of advocacy.  Stuart has an extensive background in rare diseases and a personal connection as an advocate.  This is an important subject. We hope you will help by participating in the survey.  Click here to take the survey.  

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!

I am pleased to welcome Dr. Scott Pescatore to the Pituitary Podcast.  In today's podcast, we discuss some of the work being done in the pituitary and adrenal space.  Dr. Pescatore's - and other industry leaders we've featured on the Pituitary Podcasts - opinions and points of view are essential to developing current and future therapies and potential new treatments affecting access to medications for pituitary disease.  By and large, these are the people who make the ultimate decisions on what medications are brought to market and how they support the people who need those therapies.  We are delighted to bring you Dr. Pescatore's perspectives. Don't miss this fascinating discussion.   Available Dr. Lewis Blevins new book Cushing's; a comprehensive guide to understanding a devastating disease.  Click here to buy your copy today

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.

Mental health is an ongoing challenge for people dealing with Pituitary conditions, from brain fog to anxiety to downright depression. These and other emotional issues are some of the most talked about and commonly related when people talk about what it's like to live with one of these devastating conditions.  Today's podcast brings together two leading experts in mental health and pituitary disease for an in-depth round-table discussion of mental and emotional issues that affect people daily.  Click here for more helpful articles on mental and emotional health.

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! 

On today's podcast and  Cushing's awareness day and month, we bring you a few excerpts from our soon-to-be-released new book on Cushing's. The book's author and Pituitary World News cofounder, Dr. Lewis Blevins, reads from a few selected chapters to give insight into the book's content. We are delighted to present these excerpts to join the many organizations, patients, and healthcare professionals in recognizing Cushing's disease awareness month and day. The book is well underway, with over 37 chapters on the editor's and publisher's desk. The book's release date will be announced shortly. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting project from Pituitary World News. You can read more about the book in this article.

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

The Spanish Endocrine Conference was organized late last year by the "Sociedad Española de Endocrinologia y Nutricion (SEEN). SEEN offers an excellent resource for information to the Spanish-speaking world. Spain and Spanish-speaking countries have been our focus as we seek to develop more content in Spanish for our edition of Pituitary Word New in Español. Today's podcasts covers part of the conference and shares my conversations with three world-renowned Spanish endocrinologists. Don't miss my chat with Dr. Elena Valassi on how Cushing's and acromegaly affect bones and muscles. Dr. Manel Puig Domingo talks about his views on the new nomenclature or terminology between adenomas and neuroendocrine tumors (PitNets), a thorny issues we've been covering from all angles. He also gives us an update on his projects on facial recognition in acromegaly;  a fascinating subject since it could have a considerable impact on the early diagnosis of acromegaly. Lastly, I chatted with my good friend Dr. Javier Salvador, who recently retired from clinical work after almost 50 years as one of Spain's leading endocrinologists and professors at the University of Navarra. We chatted about endocrine education, awareness, technology, early diagnosis, and his new assignment teaching medical ethics. I hope this podcast will give you a new perspective from these leading researchers and physicians tackling these challenging diseases.

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.

Today's' podcast is a recording of the Pituitary World News talk program that aired live on November 16. The information comes directly from one of the busiest, most successful clinics in the world of pituitary disease. The podcast presents a real-world, honest, in-depth discussion of health insurance denials, how this practice affects patients and physicians, how they use guidelines to muddy the process, oppose individualized care, and question a specialist's decision-making. Although most denials are successfully resolved, they undoubtedly increase costs and produce immeasurable anxiety, often leaving patients with no other choice than to get legal help or take medications that may not be what their specialist physicians prescribe. Insurance denials are real issues facing patients today and are central to a health system that desperately needs a major overhaul. Please listen and share your thoughts.

In today's podcast, Veronica, an MBA graduate of Notre Dame University and law school student, tells us about her experience with a prolactinoma. What is interesting about this story is that in pituitary medicine, where delays in diagnosis and general unawareness are all too often the order of the day, this is a perfect example of how awareness and smart thinking make things work as they are supposed to. The patient is aware and digs for information, primary care docs are aware, involved, and immediately tuned in to a possible diagnosis, and the patient gets to the specialist for prompt treatment. We want to see more stories like Veronica's!

Today, Dr. Scott Struthers talks to PWN about paltusotine, their new once-a-day acromegaly oral drug candidate. Crinetics recently published results from the latest phase of the paltusotine clinical trial. He discussed the results and provided a fascinating look at the details and their learning from the data as they analyzed these initial results. He also shared the status of a new drug for Cushing's and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), currently entering phase 2 of a clinical trial. Don't miss it!   For those following PWN, you may recall we recorded our first podcasts with Dr. Struthers when paltusotine entered its clinical trial in 2017. If you haven't heard it, I highly recommend it. It is really interesting to hear Dr. Struthers talk about their work on drugs for acromegaly and other neuroendocrine disorders and how the company has progressed since those early days. Also, if you'd like to learn more, listen to our podcast series on new drug development, "The Journey to a New Drug."