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First-ever gene therapy for hearing loss gets FDA approval: ‘Groundbreaking’

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A new therapy for genetic hearing loss has just been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The treatment, Otarmeni (lunsotogene parvec-cwha), is the first-ever dual adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-based gene therapy — meaning it uses two harmless viruses to deliver the therapy into cells.

In an FDA news release, the agency called the therapy “groundbreaking,” noting its potential to treat both pediatric and adult patients with “severe to profound” hearing loss linked to the OTOF gene.

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Positive results from drug trials were published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2025, confirming that the gene therapy “improved hearing in patients with OTOF-related deafness, enabling natural acoustic hearing and normalizing hearing sensitivity in three of 12 treated patients.”

The FDA approval marks the first disease-modifying treatment for OTOF-related deafness.

This is the sixth drug approval under the FDA commissioner’s National Priority Voucher (CNPV) pilot program — and the first gene therapy to be approved through the initiative, according to the announcement.

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“Today’s approval is a significant milestone in the treatment of genetic hearing loss,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, commented in a statement.

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“Through the national priority voucher pilot program, the agency is accelerating therapies for rare diseases with unmet medical needs while proving we can successfully review even the most complex submissions – such as novel dual-vector gene therapies and combination products requiring coordination across multiple offices and centers – in significantly shortened timeframes.”

Otarmeni is administered surgically as a one-time treatment, using a needle and a tiny tube to deliver the medicine directly into the inner ear (the cochlea) in both ears.

The therapy works by delivering a healthy copy of the OTOF gene to key cells in the inner ear, helping to restore the protein otoferlin so that auditory signals can be sent to the brain, according to the FDA.

The treatment is intended for patients with preserved outer hair cell function and for those with no prior cochlear implant in the same ear. Side effects may include middle ear infection, nausea, dizziness and procedural pain.

The FDA will host a public meeting on June 4 to discuss program implementation, eligibility criteria and other processes for distribution, according to the announcement.

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Man confesses to dismembering father, stuffing remains in suitcases as DNA finally solves cold case: police

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New DNA technology has cracked yet another cold case surrounding a man’s dismembered body parts being found inside two suitcases in Ohio nearly three decades ago, police said.

Larry Drotleff, 81, of Euclid, confessed to the 27-year-old dismemberment of his father, Lawrence A. Drotleff, who would have been 93 at the time his remains were found, Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell said in a news release. 

The case began in February 1998, when authorities received a complaint regarding a suitcase found by a group of children on Winkler Hill Road in Dover Township containing unidentified male body parts – including a pelvis and part of one leg.

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One week later, a second suitcase containing a torso was found along Boltz Orchard Road in Jefferson Township, authorities said.

Despite the recovery of a body, authorities were unable to determine the identity of the victim or a potential suspect. 

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“While DNA was collected from the remains in both suitcases, neither fingerprints from the suitcases themselves nor the DNA from the body parts ever led to the identification of the remains or a suspect,” Campbell said. “All leads were run out and leads that did come in over the years were investigated with no progress on identifying the victim or a suspect.”

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The case ultimately ran cold until investigators decided to take another look in February 2023, with DNA testing pointing to Larry Drotleff as a family member of the deceased, Lawrence A. Drotleff, police said.

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Authorities then learned Larry Drotleff had previously been caught collecting retirement and social security funds from his father, according to police. When questioned by social security investigators at the time of the alleged thefts, Larry Drotleff offered the explanation that his father had moved away.

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In January 2024, Larry Drotleff told investigators he was living with his father when he came home from work and found him deceased, according to authorities. He cooperated with the investigation by providing his own DNA for investigators to confirm his father’s identity. 

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“Larry indicated that he then cut up his father’s body with a manual hand saw and disposed of some body parts in the suitcases and others by just putting them in bags in a dumpster near his workplace,” Campbell said.

Although the statute of limitations has passed on abuse of a corpse charges, Larry Drotleff is facing two federal counts of stealing his father’s Social Security and pension funding, totalling over $250,000.  

“While the case did not prove to be a murder, it should be noted that the inhumane treatment of the Corpse was conduct so inexcusable that this case remained a priority for the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office,” Campbell said. “It remains difficult to comprehend that the greed of theft could cause someone to treat their father’s body in this manner.”

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LeAnn Rimes poses in red bikini in Cabo, shares emotional message about ‘heart-wrenching’ family issues

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LeAnn Rimes is posing in a tiny red bikini as she celebrates her wedding anniversary that is filled with “very tense, heart-wrenching things happening at home with family.”

On Thursday, Rimes took to Instagram to share photos with Eddie Cibrian for their 15th wedding anniversary in Cabo, revealing family struggles.

“we got to step away for 3 days amidst work and some very tense, heart wrenching [sic] things happening at home with family,” Rimes’ caption began.

“it’s been a different anniversary, one filled with tears and worry, but in between, there were moments of laughter and deep gratitude for this love of ours. day by day, we walk hand in hand through the rollercoaster of life… and god, i’m so grateful that it’s with each other.

“we’ve been through so much in our 15 years as husband and wife,” she continued. “we know how to ride the waves 🌊, hold each other in times of need, mend what needs mending. i’m so proud of what we have created together. 15 years is just the beginning.”

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Rimes included photos with Cibrian on the beach and also thanked the Las Ventanas Al Paraíso romance director for making their anniversary “so special.”

Amid the very heavy message, Rimes shared a photo of herself in a red bikini, holding a drink in a coconut. “till next time, cabo…” she wrote alongside the image.

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Cibrian and Rimes first met while filming the TV movie “Northern Lights” in 2008. Their relationship began controversially while both were still married to other people, leading to highly publicized divorces before they eventually married in 2011.

In February, Rimes spoke to E! News about her marriage to Cibrian ahead of their anniversary.

“We’ve evolved so much. We’ve been through so much together. Now our boys, my stepsons are 22 and 18. They’re grown boys. And to help raise his sons — we have a very calm life, which is wonderful,” she began. “And it didn’t start out that way at all, but now, we’ve really grown into — we just love each other. We love being around each other. We laugh a lot. He’s just a good guy, he really is.”

“So, 15 years is wild to think about that it’s been that long. But so far, so good,” Rimes concluded.

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Transgender lawmaker ‘doesn’t know what a woman is,’ White House says after dig at Trump firings

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The White House brushed aside remarks made by Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., to a reporter alleging that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard would be the next Cabinet official to leave the administration because President Donald Trump “only fires women.”

“Rep. McBride doesn’t know what a woman is,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said of McBride, a biological male who identifies as a woman.

McBride speculated to MeidasTouch reporter Pablo Manríquez that Tulsi Gabbard will be the next Cabinet member on President Donald Trump’s chopping block. In separate interviews, Manríquez asked McBride and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who they believed would be next to be fired. Both said it would not be a man.

The remarks come amid a shake-up in the Trump administration, as Trump announced the dismissal of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi within a span of four weeks. On Monday, Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned amid allegations of misconduct towards staffers.

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“All of them deserve to be fired,” McBride quipped. “I’m supporting impeachment of Pete Hegseth, because obviously right now, we are engaged in a reckless war of choice that he was a primary driver of.”

“But we know this president,” McBride said. “He only fires women, so my guess is Tulsi Gabbard.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., echoed McBride’s sentiment when asked the same question by Manríquez.

“Is he out of women?” Ocasio-Cortez asked. “Because that seems to be his pattern right now.”

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She went on to say that Trump “seems to only have the capability to fire female secretaries.”

In response to a follow-up question about the “clownish behavior” of War Secretary Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that what Patel has done is “a thousand times worse” than what other officials have done.

Neither Manríquez nor Ocasio-Cortez gave specific examples of misconduct by either man. Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over reported allegations that he is a heavy drinker and that it affects his work. Meanwhile, Hegseth faced sexual assault and drinking allegations during his confirmation hearings, which he denied, and his tenure at the War Department was rocked by two separate Signal chat leaks in which information about military airstrikes were inadvertently shared with a journalist.

While the White House has stood by Hegseth, Democratic lawmakers have demanded his resignation and criticized his handling of the war with Iran.

“If you’re a man in the Trump administration, it seems that they reward misconduct,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

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