About pharma
Is Avoidable Experiment Expenditure Draining Billions from COVID-19 Research?: Really good review of the costs of drug development and avoidable experiment expenditures [AEE] that needlessly increase that cost. “Multiple factors contribute to AEE, including inappropriate reagents, poor experimental design, unreliable or variable protocols, lack of details in reporting, and lack of transparency in internal data. However, inappropriate reagents are the most significant individual contributor, responsible for over a third of AEE, or more than $17 billion.”
Trump hails FDA's authorization of plasma treatment for coronavirus, after slamming agency:”The FDA, explaining its decision, cited early evidence suggesting blood plasma can decrease mortality and improve the health of patients when administered in the first three days of their hospitalization.” The bottom line on this treatment is that it may help and probably doesn’t cause harm (like hydroxychloroquine). But randomized controlled trials still have not been done.
Effect of Remdesivir vs Standard Care on Clinical Status at 11 Days in Patients With Moderate COVID-19: “Among patients with moderate COVID-19, those randomized to a 10-day course of remdesivir did not have a statistically significant difference in clinical status compared with standard care at 11 days after initiation of treatment. Patients randomized to a 5-day course of remdesivir had a statistically significant difference in clinical status compared with standard care, but the difference was of uncertain clinical importance.”
About the public’s health
One in three U.S. high school students vaped in 2019, CDC says:”That figure is more than twice that of 2017, the last time the [CDC"] assessed vaping among teens, when 13% reported using these tobacco products, the data showed…
Roughly 37% of high school students surveyed identified as "current users" of tobacco products in 2019, up from 20% in 2017, while 8.2% acknowledged using two or more tobacco products last year, the CDC said.”
Covid-19 Live Updates: Researchers Document First Case of Virus Reinfection: “Researchers in Hong Kong are reporting the first confirmed case of reinfection with the coronavirus.
‘An apparently young and healthy patient had a second case of Covid-19 infection which was diagnosed 4.5 months after the first episode,’ University of Hong Kong researchers said Monday in a statement.”
Travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An update from the CDC.
About healthcare IT
Telehealth Skyrocketing Among Older Adults: “During the first three months of the pandemic, one in four patients over 50 years of age used telehealth -- way up from the 4% who did so in 2019.”
Billions in Hospital Virus Aid Rested on Compliance With Private Vendor:”The Trump administration tied billions of dollars in badly needed coronavirus medical funding this spring to hospitals’ cooperation with a private vendor collecting data for a new Covid-19 database that bypassed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The highly unusual demand, aimed at hospitals in coronavirus hot spots using funds passed by Congress with no preconditions, alarmed some hospital administrators and even some federal health officials.”
About healthcare professionals
July survey shows more physicians are meeting patients face-to-face:”Our latest survey of 1107 physicians (conducted by Medefield across 10 countries between July 25 and Aug 5) shows that over 90% of respondents are now consulting with patients face-to-face, compared to a rate of 70% in May. Concurrently there has been a drop off in the number of physicians engaging with patients by telephone or video call over this period.”
About hospitals and health systems
Hospital operating margins down 96% compared to last year, Kaufman Hall finds: “Without federal relief aid, hospital operating margins have fallen 96 percent in the first seven months of 2020, compared to the same period last year, according to a new Kaufman Hall report.
However, even including funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, hospital operating margins still are down 28 percent from January to July.”