About Covid-19
PPE is designed for men. Some health experts are hoping to change that.: “Research conducted last year in the United Kingdom revealed respiratory equipment “poorly fit” 16.7% of female health workers compared to 7.6% of men. PPE — including gloves, goggles, face masks, visors, or protective suits — that doesn’t fit properly leaves users exposed to harmful substances or chemicals as well as infections.”
COVID vaccines have higher approval in less-affluent countries: “The analysis, reported on 16 July in Nature Medicine, found that 80% of individuals surveyed in ten low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Asia, Africa and South America were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 65% in the United States. Upper-middle-income Russia is an outlier: only 30% of people there were willing to have the jab.”
So…which countries are more “developed”?
Estimating SARS-CoV-2 infections from deaths, confirmed cases, tests, and random surveys: “The extent of the virus’ spread remains uncertain due to biases in test data. We combine multiple data sources to estimate the true number of infections in all US states. These data include representative random testing surveys from Indiana and Ohio, which provide potentially unbiased prevalence estimates. We find that approximately 60% of infections have gone unreported. Even so, only about 20% of the United States had been infected as of early March 2021, suggesting that the country was far from herd immunity at that point.”
3rd Pfizer dose strongly protects against delta variant, data shows: “In slides the drugmaker posted ahead of an earnings call, Pfizer showed data that antibody levels against the delta variant were five times higher in people aged 18 to 55 after a third dose and 11 times higher in 65- to 85-year-olds.”
About the public’s health
The information keeps coming in regarding helpful and deleterious effects of dietary behavior. In the end, we are still left left with the ancient wisdom: παν μέτρον άριστον- everything in moderation.
Moderate drinking linked to lower heart attack risk, study says: “Drinking a bottle or two of wine a week may be associated with decreased risk of heart attack, stroke, angina or death among those with cardiovascular disease, according to a study published Monday in BMC Medicine.
Researchers found that people who drink up to 105 grams of alcohol per week -- roughly six to eight drinks -- had lower risks of heart problems than those who didn't drink.”
New study finds drinking too much coffee can shrink your brain, increase dementia risk significantly: “…participants who consumed more than six cups of coffee each day had a 53-percent increased risk of dementia and smaller total brain volumes.”
However, last month, this article concluded: “New studies show why coffee is so beneficial for your health: “A new study finds that drinking three to five cups of coffee daily is associated with a reduced risk of several chronic diseases.”
Seqirus says it can supply 60 mln doses of influenza vaccines for U.S. flu season: “Vaccine maker Seqirus, a part of Australia-based biotech company CSL Ltd, said on Tuesday it has started shipping its influenza vaccines to the United States and can supply about 60 million doses of its shots for the upcoming flu season.”
Predications about the prevalent strain may be tricky this year since rates of influenza have been very low due to isolation/prevention measures that Covid-19 prompted.
About pharma
Remember when Harvoni and Sovaldi entered the Hepatitis C treatment market at a list price of $84,000 for a single course of treatment? This article explains a 97% efficacious treatment that costs $100:
From US$84,000 to US$100: Malaysia a step closer to eliminating hepatitis C with new, affordable drug: “The development of Ravidasvir was initiated by Malaysia’s Ministry of Health and the Geneva-based Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). The clinical studies were funded by Malaysian and Thailand health authorities, as well as other agencies, companies and organisations.”
Again, we should ask the question: Which countries are more “developed”?
J.D. Power: Number of patients seeking health, wellness services at pharmacies on the rise: “J.D. Power released its 2021 U.S. Pharmacy Study on Wednesday, where it found that 51% of customers at retail pharmacies used health and wellness services in the past year.
By comparison, 48% said the same in 2020's report and 43% said they used such services in 2019, J.D. Power said.”
This growth has significance for public health (delivery of vaccines, health messages, etc.) but also as an important marketing channel.
These two stories are opposite ends of the same issue- pharma companies covering patients’ out-of-pocket expenses so those firms can charge insurers high prices.
Humana follows federal footsteps, sues Regeneron over Eylea pricing: “Humana is right behind the federal government in suing Regeneron for allegedly inflating its macular degeneration drug, Eylea, and using a ‘sham’ charity to pay out kickbacks to cover cost-sharing obligations, according to the lawsuit.
Filed July 22, the Humana lawsuit is strikingly similar to accusations coming out of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts in 2020, which alleged that Regeneron paid tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks for Eylea. This was largely done through making donations to a third-party foundation that would ensure the money went exclusively toward Eylea copays.
Humana's lawsuit notes the insurer has paid out over $900 million in claims for Eylea, so it is seeking upward of $2.7 billion in damages.”
Pfizer court fight could legalize Medicare copays and unleash ‘gold rush’ in sales: “Among other court arguments, Pfizer initially claimed that current regulation violates its speech protections under the First Amendment, essentially saying it should be allowed to communicate freely with third-party charities to direct patient assistance.”
About medical devices
Boston Scientific tops expectations with 53% sales growth over 2020: “The company posted net sales of about $3.08 billion for the second quarter of 2021, or a 53.6% gain over the same three months of the year before, when the first major wave of COVID-19 swept through the U.S.
Each of Boston Scientific’s three main business segments increased their revenues by more than half. Medical and surgical tools, including endoscopy and urology devices, delivered $948 million and 64.6% growth; meanwhile, heart rhythm, electrophysiology and neuromodulation hardware topped $866 million, an increase of 65%.
Finally, the company’s cardiovascular division brought in $1.26 billion, a 51.4% boost over 2020’s second quarter—which, when adding up all three segments, only amounted to about $2 billion total.”
About health insurance
Humana boosts guidance as it posts $588M in Q2 profit: “Humana brought in $588 million in profit for the second quarter of 2021, down 67.8% from its haul in the prior-year quarter.
This echoes its peers' quarterly performance. Insurers posted sky-high profits in the second quarter of 2020 as healthcare utilization plummeted under the pandemic, raking in so much cash that Congress began a probe of their finances.”
Physician, wife indicted in connection with Medicare billing scam: “According to the indictment, the couple collected genetic samples from Medicare patients and sent them to clinical laboratories in exchange for kickbacks of up to $5,000. The employees collected DNA swabs for these tests, for which they received payment.
The tests were not conducted by necessity… Medicare was billed over $1.3 million for the tests.”
About healthcare quality
Effect of a Hospital and Postdischarge Quality Improvement Intervention on Clinical Outcomes and Quality of Care for Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction [HFrEF]: Not all good ideas work: “Among patients with HFrEF in hospitals randomized to a hospital and postdischarge quality improvement intervention vs usual care, there was no significant difference in time to first heart failure rehospitalization or death, or in change in a composite heart failure quality-of-care score.”
Using Consistently Low Performance to Identify Low-Quality Physician Groups: “A subset of physician groups that was consistently low performing could be identified by considering performance measures across multiple years. Considering the consistency of group performance could contribute a novel method to identify physician groups most likely to benefit from limited resources.”
Prevalence, Cost, and Variation in Cost in US Children’s Hospitals: “This cohort study found that major depressive disorder, scoliosis, acute appendicitis with peritonitis, asthma, and dehydration were high in prevalence, costs, and variation in cost. These results could help identify where future comparative effectiveness research in hospital pediatrics should be targeted to improve the care and outcomes of hospitalized children.”
About healthcare IT
Teladoc stock tumbles on growing losses as telehealth giant expects deficits to continue: “The wider losses were due to expenses related to the large-scale acquisition of Livongo and InTouch Health. ‘The larger net loss was primarily attributable to increased stock-based compensation,’ Chief Financial Officer Mala Murthy said during the company's second-quarter earnings call Tuesday.
The company saw continued improvement with its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or EBITDA, which came in at $67 million for the quarter compared to $26 million a year ago and ahead of consensus estimates at $62.9 million…”
IBM Report: Cost of a Data Breach Hits Record High During Pandemic: “Industries that faced huge operational changes during the pandemic (healthcare, retail, hospitality, and consumer manufacturing/distribution) also experienced a substantial increase in data breach costs year over year. Healthcare breaches cost the most by far, at $9.23 million per incident – a $2 million increase over the previous year.”
Apple Watch’s data ‘black box’ poses research problems: “A Harvard biostatistician is rethinking plans to use Apple Watches as part of a research study after finding inconsistencies in the heart rate variability data collected by the devices. He found that the data collected during the same time period appeared to change without warning.”