About Covid-19
Prospective mapping of viral mutations that escape antibodies used to treat COVID-19: “Here we map how all mutations to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 affect binding by the antibodies in the REGN-COV2 cocktail and the antibody LY-CoV016. These complete maps uncover a single amino acid mutation that fully escapes the REGN-COV2 cocktail, which consists of two antibodies, REGN10933 and REGN10987, targeting distinct structural epitopes. The maps also identify viral mutations that are selected in a persistently infected patient treated with REGN-COV2 and during in vitro viral escape selections. Finally, the maps reveal that mutations escaping the individual antibodies are already present in circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains.[Emphasis added]”
U.S. nears 500,000 COVID-19 deaths as Biden plans commemoration: “While the number of COVID-19 cases fell for the fifth straight week and officials scrambled to inoculate the population, the nation was poised to reach 500,000 deaths from the highly infectious respiratory disease.”
Finnish Nasal Vaccine Meant to Stop Coronavirus 'Completely' to Start Human Tests This Summer: “If successful, the news source said the nasal vaccine would be a major improvement over vaccines currently in use, and potentially eliminate the risk of the virus mutating in vaccinated individuals.
Additional advantages of the single-dose Finnish vaccine are that it can be stored at refrigerator temperature and is inexpensive to produce, the news source added.
However, with the nasal approach, doctors have less control over how large a dose the patient actually receives, compared to an injection.”
World Bank pushing for standard vaccine contracts, more disclosure from makers: “The World Bank is looking to standardise COVID-19 vaccine contracts that countries are signing with drugmakers, as reported in National Post.
In addition, the World Bank is pushing manufacturers to be more open about where vaccine doses are headed.
The bank’s International Finance Corp has $4 billion to invest in expanding existing production plants or building new ones, but World Bank president David Malpass said it needs more data on where current production is headed.”
After Pfizer deal, Sanofi offers a hand to Johnson & Johnson for COVID-19 vaccine production: “The deal follows a separate agreement for Sanofi to turn out 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for Europe this year.
When J&J's one-dose-and-done vaccine scores an authorization, Sanofi will give the company access to its plant in Marcy l’Etoile, France. Workers there will formulate the J&J vaccine and fill vials, and the site will turn out around 12 million doses per month, Sanofi said.”
About pharma
Hide-and-Seek Can Lead to Higher Drug Prices: An interesting European study about the effects of drug rebates on cost. Since we face the same issues it is worth a read.
Approval and Coverage of Cancer Drugs in England, Canada, and the US: Another fascinating international comparison driven by factors such as differences in surrogate endpoints and cost-benefit calculations.
The 10 most-anticipated drug launches of 2021: At the top of the list: “No other pending drug approval faces more skepticism on one hand, and more cheerleading on the other, than Biogen’s anti-amyloid beta antibody aducanumab for Alzheimer’s disease.”
Most, least expensive US cities for prescription drugs: No surprise that NYC is most expensive. Denver tops the least expensive list.
About the public’s health
Justices To Review 'Gag Rule' On Abortion Referrals: “The U. S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a Trump administration ‘gag rule’ that would prohibit physicians from referring patients to abortion providers, taking up a controversial case that has divided lower courts. The justices will review a U. S. Department of Health and Human Services regulation — upheld by the Ninth Circuit but blocked nationwide by the Fourth Circuit — that would bar doctors who receive federal funds for family planning services from helping patients access abortion services.”
About healthcare professionals
‘I Am Worth It’: Why Thousands of Doctors in America Can’t Get a Job: “Medical schools are producing more graduates, but residency programs haven’t kept up, leaving thousands of young doctors ‘chronically unmatched’ and deep in debt.”
About healthcare IT
Breaches Cost US Healthcare Organizations $13bn in 2020: “Last year saw a double-digit surge in the volume of healthcare data breach incidents in the US, with over 26 million people affected… incidents increased by over 55% on 2019 figures to reach 599 breaches in the sector, impacting over 26.4 million people.
The vast majority (67%) were down to ‘hacking and IT incidents’ stemming from external attackers. This category also accounted for larger breaches than the others, amounting to over 91% of compromised records.”
Do Medical Scribes Help Primary Care Providers Respond More Quickly to Out-of-Visit Tasks?: “Our study suggests that scribes are not associated with improved time to completion of inbox messages for PCPs. While scribes seem to have many benefits, our study suggests they may not improve time to completion of out-of-visit tasks. Reducing the time to completion for these tasks likely requires other interventions targeted to achieve those outcomes.”