About the public’s health
Pence: 'I Should Have Worn A Mask' When Visiting The Mayo Clinic: Not quite an apology, he said: "I didn't think it was necessary, but I should have worn a mask at the Mayo Clinic."
Cost of vaccinating billions against Covid-19 put at more than $20bn: “International health organisations suggest the full cost could reach $25 billion, once funding needed to manufacture doses in vast quantities and distribute them globally is taken into account.”
FDA steps up scrutiny of coronavirus antibody tests to ensure accuracy: As previously noted, due to the pressure for results, oversight of SARS-CoV-2 tests has been lax. Now that more than 100 assays are on the market, the FDA is scrutinizing their effectiveness.
We aren’t piling on pounds in lockdown, digital scale maker finds: “Despite concerns about gaining a ‘quarantine 15,’ the average user [of a web-enabled scale] gained 0.21 pounds during that month. Some 37 percent of people gained more than a pound.
How you view those numbers, however, is a matter of perspective. In a typical year, Americans gain one to two pounds.” In part, more selective food purchasing has been given as a reason for this finding.
Why The U.S. Government Stopped Funding A Research Project On Bats And Coronaviruses: The decade-long support of early detection efforts was terminated when the White House found out that some of the funds were going to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
White House and Congress clash over liability protections for businesses as firms cautiously weigh virus reopening plans: Republicans want employers to be shielded from liability for COVID-19 infections when employees come back to work, provided government guidelines are followed. The Democrats do not want to grant protection. Wonder what the role is of trial lawyers in this struggle.
About health insurance
Coronavirus Florida: Some Medicare Advantage plans allow for mask purchases: “Medicare Advantage members can use their benefits to purchase over-the-counter items such as masks and other personal protective gear in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Depending on the plan, this may include disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, masks and antiseptic wipes.”
White House to Replace HHS Inspector General: “President Trump is replacing the inspector general [Christi Grimm] at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) several weeks after she issued a report critical of the administration's efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a little-noticed announcement Friday evening, Trump nominated Jason Weida, an assistant U.S. attorney in Boston, for the post. The nomination must be approved by the Senate.”
About pharma
Fair price for Gilead's COVID-19 med remdesivir? $4,460, cost watchdog says: “…the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER)—which routinely weighs in on drug costs—says the drug is cost-effective at $4,460 per course of treatment.
Even at $1,000 per patient, less than a quarter of ICER's fair price, Gilead could rake in $1 billion in sales this year…”
Prices and clinical benefit of cancer drugs in the USA and Europe: a cost–benefit analysis: “The median monthly treatment costs for the included cancer drugs were $13179 … in the USA, $6206… in England, $5696… in Switzerland, $5121… in Germany, and $4866… in France…
Cancer drug costs per month in the USA were a median of 2·31 times as high as their corresponding median costs in the four European countries considered…. In repeated measure analyses of the 46 drugs approved for solid tumours with data pooled across all assessed countries, we found no significant difference in monthly treatment costs between drugs with high clinical benefit compared with low benefit…”
Yes, it’s the prices!
The top pharma companies in social media: Researchers at Ogilvy Health developed a scale to measure pharma companies’ performance on social media. They explain the process thusly: ““In the early days, it was all about the big numbers: who had the largest community of followers, which social page achieved the greatest number of favorites or likes. But the paid social model now means that it’s less about having the biggest following and more about using the sophisticated targeting capabilities of social advertising to reach the right audience at the right time. Through promotion you can ensure a greater number of people see your posts, or even drive more ‘likes’, but does this really make a difference to your business and how the world views your company?” Read the article for an explanation of the criteria specifics and how the 15 rated companies performed.
About hospitals
Data shows U.S. hospitals are losing $1.4B in daily revenue, due to patient volume decline: The headline is self explanatory. It highlights the profitability of elective surgical procedures.
U.S. hospitals promise new safety measures to ease patient fears after coronavirus crush: The article emphasizes that safety measures put into effect for COVID-19 are likely to remain after the disease subsides- from plexiglass barriers to telemedicine.
About healthcare IT
Epic, Meditech gain U.S. hospital market share as other EHR vendors lose ground: The headline speaks for itself. “Epic and Cerner now have more than 50% market share of the acute care market. Combined with Meditech, they control close to 75% of the market.”