About Covid-19
The coronavirus death toll has equaled the 1918 flu pandemic.: “‘The number of reported deaths from Covid in the US will surpass the toll of the 1918 flu pandemic this month,’ Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote last week on Twitter.”
U.S. to Lift Pandemic Travel Restrictions, Easing Tension With Europe: “The Biden administration will lift travel restrictions starting in November for foreigners who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus…”
Johnson & Johnson Announces Real-World Evidence and Phase 3 Data Confirming Strong and Long-Lasting Protection of Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S.: “The largest real-world evidence study for a COVID-19 vaccine reported to date in the U.S. demonstrated stable vaccine effectiveness of 79 percent (CI, 77%-80%) for COVID-19-related infections and 81 percent (CI, 79%-84%) for COVID-19-related hospitalizations. There was no evidence of reduced effectiveness over the study duration, including when the Delta variant became dominant in the U.S….
When a booster of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was given two months after the first shot, antibody levels rose to four to six times higher than observed after the single shot.
Booster shot at six months provided 12-fold increase in antibodies.”
COVID creates shortages of an array of U.S. medical supplies: “Shortages of masks and gloves that marked the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic have spread to a host of other items needed at medical facilities in the United States, from exam tables and heart defibrillators to crutches and IV poles.
It can now take up to five months to get some types of exam tables, for instance, compared to three to six weeks before the pandemic, according to CME Corp, a distributor of medical equipment that handles over 2 million products.”
Vaccinated groups at highest risk of Covid-19 hospitalisation and death identified using new QCovid tool: “In a paper published in the British Medical Journal, they write that by updating the QCovid tool developed in 2020, which directly influenced UK policy in February 2021, adding 1.5 million people in February 2021 to list of those advised to shield, they are able to identify groups more at risk of hospitalisation or death from Covid-19.”
Measuring the COVID-19 Mortality Burden in the United States: “The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in 6.62 million QALYs lost (9.08 million YLLs[Years of Life Lost]) through 13 March 2021, with 3.6 million (54%) lost by those aged 25 to 64 years. The greatest toll was on Black and Hispanic communities, especially among men aged 65 years or older, who lost 1138 and 1371 QALYs, respectively, per 10 000 persons.”
National Average Charge for a Complex Hospital Stay for COVID-19 Is $317,810, FAIR Health Finds: “The average billed charge for a complex COVID-19 hospitalization in the United States is $317,810, according to new cost estimates from FAIR Health. The average estimated allowed amount (the total amount paid to an in-network provider, including payments from both the plan and the patient) is $98,139. This cost information can be found in the latest release of FH® Total Treatment Cost benchmarks for COVID-19.”
Financing fake news: Nike and Amazon advertise on Covid conspiracy sites: “Dozens of the world’s biggest brands, including Nike, Amazon and Ted Baker, have been advertising on websites spreading Covid misinformation, such as claims that powerful people secretly engineered the pandemic and vaccines have caused thousands of deaths…”
Read the article for more details.
About hospitals and health systems
THE MOST SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE HOSPITALS IN AMERICA: From the Lown Institute. Interesting comparisons across a variety of measures, including cost-efficiency.
Quality of Care Before and After Mergers and Acquisitions of Rural Hospitals: “Adjusted for patient, hospital, and community characteristics, decreases in mortality among stays for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and pneumonia postmerger were greater at merged hospitals than at comparison hospitals.”
Financial Effectsof COVID-19: Hospital Outlook for the Remainder of 2021: “Kaufman Hall projects hospitals nationwide will lose an estimated $54 billion in net income over the course of the year, even taking into account federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding from last year.
Our latest analyses examine actual performance in the first and second quarters of this year, and projections for the remainder of 2021. According to our estimates, more than a third of U.S. hospitals will maintain negative operating margins through year’s end. However, the uncertain trajectory of the Delta and Mu variants in the U.S. this fall could result in even greater losses.”
Providence National Foundation Launches to Reimagine the Future of Health: “Providence, one of the largest health systems in the nation, is launching a National Foundation to address the most pressing health challenges facing our nation. The national foundation will work with its local foundations across seven states…
Providence's 40 local foundations have raised nearly $1 billion in the last three years…”
Read the announcement for the areas on which the Foundation will concentrate.
About pharma
Americans Struggling With High Cost of Prescription Drugs: “The survey revealed that 15.5 million younger adults (<65 years) and 2.3 million seniors were unable to pay for at least one doctor-prescribed medication in their household. Twice as many younger adults reported not filling needed prescriptions in the previous three months versus seniors (8 versus 4 percent). The findings by age were similar for skipping pills to cut costs (13 versus 6 percent). Even adults with chronic conditions report difficulty affording prescriptions (diabetes: 12 percent; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 12 percent; immune-compromised: 15 percent), at a rate that is nearly twice that of Americans overall.”
FDA approves Samsung, Biogen's Lucentis biosimilar: “Samsung Bioepis and Biogen on Monday announced that the FDA approved Byooviz (ranibizumab-nuna), a biosimilar referencing Roche's VEGF therapy Lucentis (ranibizumab), to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), macular oedema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and myopic choroidal neovascularisation (mCNV). The decision makes Byooviz the first ophthalmology biosimilar approved in the country…”
Because of the high cost of the branded drug, some ophthalmologists were prescribing low doses of Avastin, which is much cheaper. We need to see the pricing on this new generic before projecting cost savings.
Ohio Strikes $808 Million Settlement With Opioid Distributors: “Ahead of a large suit that’s pending with state and local governments across the U.S., Ohio has reached a settlement with Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen and McKesson — the three largest opioid distributors — for $808 million, resolving claims that the companies played a role in fueling the opioid epidemic.”
The Cheapest States for Prescription Drugs: An interesting comparison of measures of cost, quality and access across states.
Walgreens Boots Alliance Makes Majority Investment in Shields Health Solutions, Expanding Position in Fast-Growing Specialty Pharmacy Market: “Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA) and Shields Health Solutions today announced that WBA, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Walgreen Co., is making a majority investment in Shields, an industry leader in integrated, health system-owned specialty pharmacy care. WBA’s investment signifies another step the company is taking to accelerate innovative healthcare models for future growth, providing a platform to further develop health system partnerships and coordinate care for those with complex, chronic conditions.
The approximately $970 million investment will support the continued growth of Shields’ health system-based specialty pharmacy strategy, and builds on a minority equity investment that WBA announced in July 2019.”
About health insurance
Top payers ranked by customer satisfaction, experience: Read the results from two different surveys.
About the public’s health
CDC spending more than $2 billion on infection control and prevention efforts: “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has earmarked $2.1 billion from American Rescue Plan funding to improve infection control and prevention across the country -- the largest federal investment of its kind to date, the agency said.
The funding is meant to equip state, local and territorial public health departments and other partner organizations with the resources needed to better fight infections in healthcare facilities, including COVID-19 and other known and emerging infectious diseases.
In keeping with ongoing efforts by the Biden Administration, the funding commitment is also intended to address healthcare-related inequities.”
The sugar tax is working. Now double it: Confirmatory evidence from South Africa:
“The evidence is in – South Africa’s sugar tax is working. People are buying 28% fewer sugary drinks since the government implemented the health promotion levy in 2018.
Under this policy, sugar manufacturers are charged a fee of 2.1 cents per gram of sugar per 100 ml.”
A Doctor Who Defied Texas' Abortion Law Is Sued, Launching A Legality Test Of The Ban: “Former attorneys in Arkansas and Illinois filed lawsuits Monday against Dr. Alan Braid, who in a weekend Washington Post opinion column became the first Texas abortion provider to publicly reveal he violated the law that took effect on Sept. 1.
Under the law, the restriction can only be enforced through private lawsuits.”
And in a related article: Supreme Court sets Dec. 1 for arguments in challenge to Roe v. Wade: “The Supreme Court on Monday set Dec. 1 arguments on Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy — a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.
Mississippi's ban has been blocked by lower courts because it directly violates Roe’s protections for pre-viability abortions. The hearing would come after justices this month allowed Texas to move forward with a near-total abortion ban.”
About healthcare IT
More Than 61 Million Unprotected Device User Records Discovered Online: “More than 61 million health app user records, including data from users of Google’s Fitbit and Apple’s HealthKit, were potentially exposed to hackers, WebsitePlanet, a website design advice service, reported.
The records were contained in ‘a non-password protected database’ related to health and fitness tracking devices accessed by security researcher Jeremiah Fowler. A sample of more than 20,000 records that Fowler observed included data that appeared to come from users of Fitbit and HealthKit, he said.”
FTC warns health apps must notify users about data breaches or face fines: “The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned apps and connected devices that collect personal health information, such as glucose levels or fertility data, are required to notify consumers if their data are breached or shared with third parties without their permission.
Health apps and devices that collect that kind of information fall under the Health Breach Notification Rule, the FTC said in a new policy statement issued this week.”
Can medtech start-ups show us where the industry is headed? Insights from MedTech Innovator and industry leaders: A Deloitte monograph that is interesting to skim. One significant finding: “Among the 1,008 companies in the 2021 MTI database, nearly half (46%) have a focus on prevention and/or wellness or detection/ diagnosis. Just 19% of companies are focusing on treatment. Within the prevention/wellness category, companies indicated a variety of clinical areas. Cardiology was the most common.”