About Covid-19
Estimating COVID-19 Infections, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Following the US Vaccination Campaigns During the Pandemic: “Compared with the no vaccination scenario, the actual vaccination campaign saved an estimated 240 797… lives and prevented an estimated 1 133 617…hospitalizations from December 12, 2020, to June 30, 2021. The number of cases averted during the same period was projected to exceed 14 million.”
U.S. secures 600,000 more doses of GSK-Vir's COVID-19 therapy: Highlights:
—”U.S. deal builds on $1 bln order from November
—About 1.7 mln doses of sotrovimab secured globally
—GSK-Vir bolstering supply, 2 mln doses expected globally in H1”
Assessment of Functional Mobility After COVID-19 in Adults Aged 50 Years or Older in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: Some good news: “These findings suggest that individuals with mild and moderate COVID-19 who were predominantly not hospitalized experienced deficits in functional mobility compared with those without COVID-19.”
WHO says omicron may infect half of Europe within two months, if current coronavirus trends hold: The headline is the story.
About the public’s health
Red Cross Declares First-ever Blood Crisis amid Omicron Surge: “The American Red Cross is facing a national blood crisis – its worst blood shortage in over a decade, posing a concerning risk to patient care. Amid this crisis, doctors have been forced to make difficult decisions about who receives blood transfusions and who will need to wait until more products become available. Blood and platelet donations are critically needed to help prevent further delays in vital medical treatments.”
Consumption of Olive Oil and Risk of Total and Cause-Specific Mortality Among U.S. Adults: “In substitution analyses, replacing 10 g/d of margarine, butter, mayonnaise, and dairy fat with the equivalent amount of olive oil was associated with 8%-34% lower risk of total and cause-specific mortality. No significant associations were observed when olive oil was compared with other vegetable oils combined.”
About health insurance
State Trends in Employer Premiums and Deductibles, 2010–2020: Highlights from from The Commonwealth Fund study:
“Premium contributions and deductibles in employer health plans accounted for 11.6 percent of median household income in 2020, up from 9.1 percent a decade earlier.[Emphasis added]
In 37 states, premium contributions and deductibles amounted to 10 percent or more of median income in 2020, up from 10 states in 2010.
Middle-income workers in Mississippi and New Mexico faced the highest potential costs relative to income, 19 percent and 18 percent, respectively.
The total cost of premiums plus potential spending on deductibles ranged from a low of $6,528 in Hawaii to a high of more than $9,000 in Florida, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, and Texas.”
CVS Health boosts 2021 guidance on back of stronger than expected retail performance in Q4: “CVS Health boosted its 2021 guidance Tuesday ahead of its fourth-quarter earnings in early February, with executives citing better-than-expected performance in its retail segment.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the healthcare giant raised its full-year earnings projections to between $8.33 and $8.38 per share from a previous estimate of $8. The company also affirmed its 2022 guidance range of between $8.10 and $8.30 per share.”
Labor Department demands insurers stop flouting ACA's birth control rules: “The Biden administration is reminding insurers they must fully cover contraceptive coverage after complaints of some payers denying claims for certain products.
The Department of Labor released an updated frequently asked questions document on Monday that outlined requirements for insurers to cover at-home COVID-19 tests. Tucked into the document is a stern reminder of insurers’ requirements under the Affordable Care Act.”
UnitedHealthcare settles class-action underpayment suit for $10M: “The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York approved a $10 million final settlement for a class-action lawsuit targeting UnitedHealthcare and its tiered reimbursement policy.
The lawsuit, filed in 2017, claims that UnitedHealthcare's policy reduced payments for out-of-network mental healthcare providers — including psychologists, counselors and social workers — by between 25 percent and 35 percent…”
6 payers recognized for stakeholder commitment, 3 rank in top 100: “Six payers were recognized by nonprofit JUST Capital for their commitment to stakeholder responsibility, with three ranking among the top 100 U.S. companies.
In tandem with CNBC, the nonprofit released its "2022 Rankings of America’s Most JUST Companies" on Jan. 10, which orders companies based on their success across five stakeholder metrics — investing in its employees, supporting communities, prioritizing good governance, customer service, and environmental impact.”
Anthem is highest among payers at #16 among all companies.
About pharma
Pfizer locks in 2 partners to solidify status as mRNA powerhouse: “In the first deal… Pfizer has secured access to Acuitas Therapeutics’ lipid nanoparticle delivery system for use in mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. The nonexclusive development and option agreement covers up to 10 targets that could someday become vaccines or therapeutic programs. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Lipid nanoparticles are critical to protecting mRNA—which provides a set of instructions for cells to, for example, fight a virus—until it arrives at the target in the body. This technology was used in both authorized mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, with Acuitas’ proprietary delivery system specifically tapped for the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
In the second deal, Pfizer will offer milestone payments “in excess” of $100 million to Codex DNA for access to the biotech’s novel enzymatic DNA synthesis technology. This will similarly be used to develop new mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. The financial terms, which were not spelled out, include an upfront payment and the milestones, which Codex said “could be earned in the near term.”
Codex has developed a system called short oligo ligation assembly (SOLA) EDS technology, which provides a scalable, efficient and cost-effective approach to research. SOLA EDS can construct synthetic DNA, RNA and proteins, which can be used to develop new mRNA-based medicines and vaccines.”
Sanofi makes $75M preclinical bet to join Roche, Novartis and more in congested Parkinson's field: “Add Sanofi to the list of companies aiming to treat Parkinson’s disease by targeting alpha-synuclein. The Big Pharma has claimed a spot toward the back of the pack by paying $75 million upfront for the global rights to a preclinical bispecific that targets the protein.
Sanofi is picking up the rights to the drug, which is currently called ABL301, from South Korea’s ABL Bio in return for the upfront fee and the promise of up to $985 million in milestones. ABL landed the deal after generating preclinical evidence that ABL301 crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) more efficiently than a monoclonal antibody and reduces brain aggregated alpha-synuclein.”
PIPELINE INSIGHTS REPORT DRUGS TO WATCH: This Optum report looks at three upcoming drugs to watch in 2022.
About healthcare IT
ONC adds guidelines for e-prescribing, public health reporting: “The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology updated its Interoperability Standards Advisory to include specifications for e-prescribing and public health reporting.
In a Jan. 11 blog post, the ONC said it has added the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs' Real-Time Prescriptions Benefit Standard Version 12. This addition will help communication efforts between pharmacy benefit payers and prescriber systems.”
Digital Health Startup Transcarent Just Raised $200 Million To Grow Its Concierge Medical Business: “Its customers, which are large-scale employers that self-insure for health coverage, are provided with a concierge medicine-like experience through its digital app, which enables users to connect with a doctor either through text or video call 24 hours a day. For more serious issues, the company will arrange a second opinion and then determine the best doctor and/or hospital to treat the patient. What’s more, those employees who use the service never have to pay premiums, co-pays or other bills.”
About healthcare personnel
Glassdoor: Best places to work in healthcare for 2022: “Glassdoor released its list of "Best Places to Work" in 2022, and four hospitals and health systems made the list.
Several healthcare, pharmaceutical and medical device companies also were named to the list of 100 companies.”
About healthcare systems
DaVita, Fresenius Accused of Putting Minority Patients at Risk: “Kidney dialysis centers in California are being accused of discriminating against Latino and Asian American patients by subjecting them to unsafe and potentially lethal treatments at disproportionately higher rates in a complaint filed Tuesday with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights.
The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the National Health Law Program and five dialysis patients say Latino and Asian American patients at centers run by DaVita Inc. and Fresenius Medical Care North America Inc. are being disproportionately exposed to hemodialysis treatments at dangerously higher speeds than white patients….
Latino and Asian American patients are being exposed to these treatments at high speeds at a rate approximately 50% greater than white patients, the complaint alleges.”