About health insurance
Open Enrollment sign-ups for 2021 match 2020's total, says CMS: “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released the final weekly enrollment snapshot that shows about 8.3 million people selected individual market plans through the marketplaces using the federal platform during the 2021 Open Enrollment Period.
This total enrollment is nearly the same as enrollments during the 2020 open enrollment period, despite the fact that New Jersey and Pennsylvania transitioned to state-based exchange platforms starting with the 2021 open enrollment period. As a result of their transition, selections in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are not included in the snapshot.
After removing these states from the total plan selection totals in the 2020 open enrollment period and comparing year-over-year trends, the results show plan selections this year increased by 7% from 2020, despite a decline in new consumers. Also, for the fourth straight year, the consumer satisfaction rate at the call center remained high – averaging over 90% – throughout the entire stretch.”
35 Next Gen ACOs achieved savings, bonuses in 2019: “The 37 ACOs participating in the model reduced Medicare spending by $558.6 million in 2019, according to the data, and just two of the 37 failed to meet benchmarks and achieve savings.
Based on the data, the 37 ACOs earned a combined $461.9 million in incentive payments from CMS for meeting financial and quality targets. However, taking into account the unearned quality withholds, CMS will pay $354.5 million to the ACOs.
This means the program resulted in $204 million in direct savings to Medicare after accounting for the incentive payments.”
About the public’s health
Renewal of Determination That A Public Health Emergency Exists: HHS Secretary Azar renewed the declaration of a public health emergency.
HHS launches COVID-19 antibody treatment locator tool: “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a treatment locator to help patients and providers find monoclonal antibody therapeutics for COVID-19.
Housed at HHS' Protect Public Data Hub, the tool displays locations that have received shipments of therapeutics under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority within the past several weeks.”
Covid infection shown to provide as much immunity as vaccines: ”People who have already contracted coronavirus are as protected against reinfection as those who have received the best Covid-19 vaccines, according to a survey of 20,000 UK healthcare workers, the largest study in the world so far…
prior infection provided at least 83 per cent protection against reinfection. It gave better than 94 per cent protection against symptomatic Covid-19, matching the figures for the most effective Covid-19 vaccines.”
Note that there is a difference between measuring antibody levels and assessing reinfection rates.
Early study shows J&J's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine triggered antibodies in all participants: “As previously reported, neutralising antibody titers against COVID-19 were detected in over 90% of participants after a single vaccination at day 29. The new data showed that among younger adults aged 18 to 55 years, this increased to 100% at day 57, regardless of vaccine dose or age group, while titers then remained stable until at least day 71, which is currently the latest available time point in the ongoing study. Meanwhile, a second dose of Ad26.COV2.S provided an increase in the titer by a factor of 2.6 to 2.9, researchers said. Johnson & Johnson noted that data on durability of immune responses in trial participants aged over 65 years after day 29 will be shared in late January.”
Scientists find antibody that blocks dengue virus: “A team of researchers led by the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Michigan has discovered an antibody that blocks the spread within the body of the dengue virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen that infects between 50 and 100 million people a year. The virus causes what is known as dengue fever, symptoms of which include fever, vomiting and muscle aches, and can lead to more serious illnesses, and even death…
Currently, there are no effective treatments or vaccines for the dengue virus.”
Aside from its potential humanitarian benefits, commercial implications are huge.
DxTerity Offers COVID-19 Tests For Sale on Amazon: “DxTerity's SARS-CoV-2 PCR-based test is the first at-home saliva test to receive Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the FDA for symptomatic and asymptomatic testing.” This saliva sample mail-in test costs $110.
About pharma
Drugmakers sue HHS over 340B advisory opinion in feud over contract pharmacy access: “Drug companies AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Sanofi filed separate lawsuits seeking to preserve their ability to restrict offering 340B-discounted drugs to contract pharmacies.
The lawsuits, filed Tuesday in different federal courts, seek to get rid of an advisory opinion filed by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS') general counsel that says drug companies must offer 340B drugs to contract pharmacies, which are third-party entities that dispense drugs on behalf of hospitals participating in the program.”
Boehringer partners with Google to bring quantum computing to biopharma R&D: “The three-year pharmaceutical project is the first of its type for Google’s Quantum AI division, and will be co-led by a new Quantum Lab at Boehringer—forming one part of the company’s digital transformation strategy alongside investments in machine learning and data science, as well as digitally powered biomarkers and therapeutics.”
Walgreens announces creation of new tech startup aimed at developing comprehensive patient platform: “Walgreens is establishing a tech-enabled healthcare startup with the goal of creating a new patient platform that blends physical and digital tools, company leadership said…
The startup will put together a customer engagement platform that includes a personalization engine.”
Woodcock to serve as acting FDA commissioner, Sharfstein a contender for top FDA job: “David Kessler is out of the running for nomination as FDA commissioner, leaving Joshua Sharfstein as a front-runner to lead FDA, sources briefed by the Biden transition team told BioCentury. While the list of candidates had narrowed to Kessler and Sharfstein, the delay in naming a candidate for the position could be a sign that other names are being considered.
Janet Woodcock is expected to be named acting FDA commissioner, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “
He’s in! Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban launches generics maker promising ‘radically’ low-cost drugs: “Cuban has launched a new company, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs, which has a plan to offer low-cost rivals to overpriced generic drugs. The company is launching with one product: albendazole, an antiparasitic. It will charge $20 per tablet, a steep discount to its current average cash price of $225, according to the company’s website.
Cuban’s plan is to disclose the cost of development and distribution for each of its products and then add a 15% margin to land on a wholesale price.”
About healthcare IT
Online therapy app Talkspace to go public in $1.4B deal with blank check firm: “Online therapy app Talkspace plans to go public through a merger with SPAC Hudson Executive Investment Corp. The combined company will operate as Talkspace and intends to be listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol "TALK."
The deal values Talkspace—which connects users with licensed therapists via video chat or text—at $1.4 billion, including debt. The deal will provide the company with $250 million in cash to be used as growth capital, the companies announced Wednesday.”
FDA Releases Action Plan for AI, Machine Learning Medical Software: “The FDA has released its first artificial intelligence and machine learning action plan, a multi-step approach designed to advance the agency’s management of advanced medical software.
The Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML)-Based Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) Action Plan is a response to stakeholder feedback on the FDA’s 2019 regulatory framework for AI and ML-based medical products.”
Google finalizes $2.1B Fitbit acquisition: 5 details: The deal, announced in November of 2019, was completed today. The article has some details.