About Covid-19
The Future of Virus Tracking Can Be Found on This College Campus: A really interesting article explaining how Lookout, Colorado Mesa University’s digital Covid-19 dashboard, was used to track and contain Covid-19 cases and gather symptom profiles. The system was developed by the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard.
Forget throat swabs: Dutch company claims its breathalyzer can help sniff out COVID-19: “SpiroNose isn’t meant to definitively diagnose infection; instead it aims to rule it out in as many cases as possible. For the remainder, the test yields an ‘inconclusive,’ and those people receive a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antigen test.”
As more Americans get vaccinated, 41% of Republicans still refuse COVID-19 shots: A good recent summary about who is refusing vaccination and what incentives are being offered by states.
In a related story: Vaccine-hesitant Americans list false side effects among concerns: poll: “Among the 1,061 people in the survey who say they are unlikely to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and listed side effects as a concern, 60 percent named blood clots, which have indeed been reported in extremely rare cases. But 24 percent listed infertility, and just as many cited potential birth defects, which are not considered possible from any of the vaccines that have been approved.
Twenty-two percent said they were concerned about potentially getting cancer from their coronavirus vaccine, another false side effect.”
Mid-stage results prompt GSK, Sanofi to move ahead with pivotal COVID-19 vaccine study: “GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi announced Monday that their adjuvanted recombinant COVID-19 vaccine candidate triggered strong neutralising antibody responses in adults in a Phase II study, paving the way for a late-stage trial to start in the coming weeks and potential regulatory authorisation in the fourth quarter.”
The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill: Is there a difference between droplets and aerosols and does it matter? Yes (to both questions). If transmission of a virus is by droplets, 3-6 feet distancing will help prevent spread. But if it is aerosolized you need a much longer safe distance. (Masks in both cases obviously also help.) This article provides background on how we got the nature/nomenclature of spread wrong.
About the public’s health
Short-term air pollution, cognitive performance and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study: “Air pollution, especially fine particulate matter (PM2.5), may impair cognitive performance but its short-term impact is poorly understood. We investigated the short-term association of PM2.5 with the cognitive performances of 954 white males measured as global cognitive function and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores and further explored whether taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could modify their relationships. Higher short-term exposure to PM2.5 demonstrated nonlinear negative associations with cognitive function… Such adverse effects were attenuated in users of NSAIDs [non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs] compared to nonusers. This study elucidates the short-term impacts of air pollution on cognition and warrants further investigations on the modifying effects of NSAIDs.”
Screening for Colorectal Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement: This statement applies only to the following population:
“Asymptomatic adults 45 years or older at average risk of colorectal cancer (ie, no prior diagnosis of colorectal cancer, adenomatous polyps, or inflammatory bowel disease; no personal diagnosis or family history of known genetic disorders that predispose them to a high lifetime risk of colorectal cancer [such as Lynch syndrome or familial adenomatous polyposis]).”
“The USPSTF recommends screening for colorectal cancer in all adults aged 50 to 75 years. (A recommendation) The USPSTF recommends screening for colorectal cancer in adults aged 45 to 49 years. (B recommendation) The USPSTF recommends that clinicians selectively offer screening for colorectal cancer in adults aged 76 to 85 years. Evidence indicates that the net benefit of screening all persons in this age group is small. In determining whether this service is appropriate in individual cases, patients and clinicians should consider the patient’s overall health, prior screening history, and preferences. (C recommendation)…”
See Table 1 in the article “for characteristics of recommended screening strategies, which may include combinations of screening tests.”
About medical devices
CMS’ rule granting speedy coverage to FDA-designated ‘breakthrough’ devices delayed again: “CMS delayed the start date of its rule that would provide expedited Medicare coverage for products the FDA deems "breakthrough devices" from May 15 to Dec. 15. CMS wants more time to examine concerns expressed about the rule, including that devices may gain coverage despite limited evidence of their use among seniors.”
About pharma
US Supreme Court refuses to hear Novartis' appeal over Enbrel patents: “The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Novartis' challenge to two patents on Amgen's Enbrel (etanercept), upholding a Federal Circuit Appeals Court decision from last year. The Supreme Court snub means Novartis continues to be barred from launching Erelzi, its biosimilar version of Enbrel, in the US despite the FDA having approved it in 2016.
The Enbrel patents in question cover its active ingredient and a process to make the drug, and are set to expire in 2028 and 2029, respectively.”
AbbVie repeatedly hiked Humira, Imbruvica prices and abused patents to keep competitors at bay: report: “AbbVie owns two of the best-selling drugs in the world in Humira and Imbruvica. But to build and defend its market monopoly for the two heavyweights, the company has repeatedly raised prices and exploited the U.S. patent system, a congressional probe found.
In the 48-page report released ahead of AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez’s appearance on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform found that Humira is the nation’s top-selling drug “due in large part to AbbVie’s price increases.” Those costs have ‘placed significant strain on U.S. patients and their families’ who have been left with greater out-of-pocket expenses. “
About healthcare IT
Doctors Now Must Provide Patients Their Health Data, Online and On Demand: This article discusses the pros and cons of making information instantly available to patients when it becomes available.
About hospitals and health systems
Advocate Aurora Health reports $352M gain for Q1 2021 even without COVID relief funds: “Advocate Aurora Health has started its fiscal year in the black, reporting this week nearly $352 million in earnings for the quarter ending March 31 despite receiving no financial support from the government’s COVID-19 relief efforts during that time.
The performance is a stark contrast to the same period last year when the pandemic hit and the nonprofit system lost more than $1.3 billion after expenses.”
About healthcare professionals
Contributions of US Medical Schools to Primary Care (2003-2014): Determining and Predicting Who Really Goes Into Primary Care: “The commonly used Residency Match Method predicted a 41.2% primary care output rate. The actual primary care output rate was 22.3%. The proposed new method, the Intent to Practice Primary Care Method, predicted a 17.1% primary care output rate, which was closer to the actual primary care rate.”
This more accurate predictive method highlights the shortage of primary care physicians.