About the public’s health
FDA Analysis Of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Finds It Effective And Safe: “The Food and Drug Administration released a detailed analysis Tuesday morning of the COVID-19 vaccine from drugmaker Moderna that supports the authorization of the company's vaccine for emergency use.
The FDA's briefing document along with one from Moderna were posted two days before a group of experts will convene to advise the agency on whether to grant the vaccine emergency authorization for use, or EUA, during the pandemic.”
What the Pandemic Christmas of 1918 Looked Like: “You will show your love for dad and mother, brother, sister and the rest of ‘em best this year by sticking to your own home instead of paying annual Christmas visits, holding family reunions, and parties generally.”— Acting Health Commissioner, State of Ohio. Dec 21, 1918
Lots of parallels in this article from the Smithsonian.
China plans set up of new disease control agency in COVID-19 aftermath -Caixin: “China is considering setting up a new disease control agency as part of its public health reforms following the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, Caixin reported on Monday…
The new disease control agency may combine the departments of the National Health Commission with the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Caixin reported.”
As the language indicates, it is not a surety the agency will be established. Also, the major issues in the past have been transparency and trust.
How influencers are being recruited to promote the Covid-19 vaccine: This in-depth article from Vox builds on yesterday’s post about media spending to promote acceptance of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. It emphasizes various approaches and recalls past social marketing campaigns. Here is a classic article about getting people to behave a certain way by citing normative behavior. And yet another from today’s NY Times that explains why paying people to get the vaccine is not a good idea. A motto to keep in mind: Pay enough or don’t pay.
Why many countries failed at COVID contact-tracing — but some got it right: “A handful of places stand out as exemplars of successful contact-tracing — including South Korea, Vietnam, Japan and Taiwan. Many of these have cracked down on COVID-19 early, isolated infected people and their contacts and used personal data such as mobile-phone signals to track obedience. Not all of those techniques are transferable to countries now struggling to contain massive outbreaks. But they still provide some lessons.”
The article discusses successes and failures of contact tracing.
New Online COVID-19 Mortality Risk Calculator Could Help Determine Who Should Get Vaccines First: This calculator will give you a personal risk score based on age, sex, race, height/weight, and underlying diseases. It takes into account the risk where you live.
America’s health rankings 2020: From the United Health Foundation. Too much here to summarize; some good (lowered food insecurity) and some bad (higher number of uninsured). And a related study from Peterson-KFF: State of the U.S. Health System: 2020 Update.
The silent epidemic that is three times as deadly as COVID: From the World Economic Forum:
“Diabetes is rising across the globe, killing 4.2 million people last year.
Middle- and low-income countries are seeing the biggest increases.
Over 460 million people already live with diabetes.
By 2045 over 700 million people will have the condition.”
About pharma
Lilly makes another gene therapy play with $1B deal to buy Prevail TX: “Eli Lilly has joined the ranks of big pharma companies building a position in gene therapy, paying $26.50 per share to take control of New York-based Prevail Therapeutics and its two clinical-stage development programs…
The startup’s lead therapy—PR001—has now advanced into phase 1/2 testing for GBA1-positive PD as well as neuronopathic Gaucher disease, along with a second candidate (PR006) for frontotemporal dementia with GRN mutations.”
AstraZeneca's shares fall as much as 9% on news of Alexion deal: ”While analysts were positive on the assets that AstraZeneca will gain through the purchase, such as the anti-complement C5 monoclonal antibodies Soliris (eculizumab) and Ultomiris (ravulizumab), those from Cowen and Liberum called the price ‘considerable’ and ‘hefty,’ respectively.”
Novartis Gains EU Approval for Leqvio: “The drug is a small interfering RNA treatment meant for patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who require LDL-C reduction. The Swiss drugmaker said the drug is meant to be given twice a year as a long-term treatment.
The FDA is currently reviewing an NDA for Leqvio for the treatment of adults with high levels of LDL-C and is expected to make a decision by year’s end.”
About health insurance
Faith-Based Groups Get Additional Protections Under Rule: “Faith-based organizations will be treated the same as secular organizations in federal programs, according to a rule finalized by nine federal agencies Monday.
The rule also clarifies that ‘faith-based organizations do not lose their legal protections and rights just because they participate in federal programs and activities,’ including their right to conscience protections, the Department of Health and Human Services said.
The rule was issued by the HHS with the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Labor, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Veteran’s Affairs, and the Agency for International Development.”
Medicare Part D Reforms: Who Wins and Who Loses: An in-depth analysis of this issue by the American Enterprise Institute. The bottom line is that the changes will not do much to lower costs for beneficiaries.
“Harvard Pilgrim, Tufts Insurance Merger Faces Scrutiny; Regulators Want Divestiture: “Federal and state regulators are opposing a major health insurance merger between Harvard Pilgrim and Tufts Health Plan, now called Health Plan Holdings, but say the deal can still move forward if Tufts agrees to sell off its New Hampshire operations to a rival company.
Citing the risk of less competition and increased prices, the U.S. Attorney and the state Attorney General filed an antitrust lawsuit on Monday.” It is reported today that the planned sale will be to UnitedHealth Group.
About healthcare IT
Surescripts, Audacious Inquiry team up to improve data sharing during disasters: “Surescripts and health IT company Audacious Inquiry are teaming up to make patients' medication history data more easily accessible to providers during disasters like hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the collaboration, Surescripts, an electronic prescribing company, will integrate medication history data into Audacious Inquiry’s Patient Unified Lookup System for Emergencies (PULSE) tool…
Audacious Inquiry developed PULSE as a health IT tool to be used during emergencies such as hurricanes, pandemics, tornadoes or terrorist attacks where patients are displaced and clinicians or emergency response personnel are providing care in alternate care settings like field hospitals, medical shelters or quarantine sites.
PULSE Enterprise is a cloud-based software solution that allows electronic patient data to be viewed by providers in non-routine healthcare settings and to public health authorities performing clinical case augmentation and epidemiological assessments.”
Amazon Halo fitness tracker, which measures body fat and listens to you, launches for everyone: “Amazon’s Halo wearable is now available for anyone to purchase, the company announced Monday. The Halo is a health and fitness tracker that comes with a subscription service and smartphone app. Users can track their body fat percentages, activity levels and their emotional state, using a feature called ‘Tone.’”