About Covid-19
New Covid booster shots don't protect better against omicron BA.5, studies find “Scientists at Columbia University in New York found the new boosters did not produce a better antibody response against BA.5 than the first-generation vaccines, while a study by scientists at Harvard essentially came to the same conclusion…
The studies analysed samples from small groups, 21 people in the Columbia study and 18 in the Harvard study, who received the new boosters and compared them with individuals who received the old vaccine as their fourth dose.”
These studies are pre-publication and have not been peer reviewed.
‘Prime and Spike’ Nasal Vaccine Strategy Helps Combat COVID “A Yale-designed nasal vaccine can help bolster immune responses to COVID-19 in previously vaccinated animals and reduce viral transmission, Yale researchers report Oct. 27 in the journal Science.
The new vaccine approach developed by Yale researchers — which is known as ‘Prime and Spike’ — is designed to jumpstart immune response in the respiratory system, which is the first part of the body to be infected by the virus.
Intramuscular vaccine shots, which are what most people have received to protect against COVID-19 infection, provide a broad-based immune response throughout the body and help avert serious illness. However, that protection has tended to wane after about four months, leaving people susceptible to breakthrough infections and emerging variants.
The new ‘prime’ and ‘spike’ approach may help prevent breakthrough infections of vaccinated individuals by bolstering immune response within the mucosal lining of the respiratory tract, which are the first cells attacked by COVID-19.”
About health insurance/insurers
ACA's preventative care requirement under attack “Late Monday, plaintiffs in the case led by former Texas solicitor general Jonathan Mitchell filed a motion asking O'Connor to rule that under the ACA, insurers cannot be required to cover preventive services at no cost to patients.
The court should set aside the Preventive Services Task Force's A and B recommendations because the task force was never appointed by Congress, and thus lacks the authority to say which services insurers must cover.”
Assessment of Spending for Patients Initiating Dialysis Care “This cohort study including 12 392 patients noted the initiation of dialysis care for privately insured patients with kidney failure was associated with significant increases in monthly spending from $5025 to $19 654. The differences in spending between patients receiving Medicare compared with private insurance were large: patients insured by Medicare had annual mean spending of $80 509 compared with $238 126 for privately insured patients in their first year of dialysis.”
OptumRx denies settlement in Ohio overcharging case “The Ohio Attorney General's Office said in an Oct. 25 news release the pharmacy benefit manager had agreed to pay that sum to settle allegations it overcharged the state's Bureau of Workers Compensation $15.8 million from 2015 to 2018.
However, an Optum spokesperson told the news outlet a final agreement with the attorney general's office had not been reached and that the company continues to dispute the allegations.”
About pharma
McKinsey reaches deal with U.S. local governments over opioids “Leading consulting firm McKinsey & Co has agreed to settle claims by hundreds of U.S. local governments and school districts around the country that it fueled an epidemic of opioid addiction through its work for bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and other drug companies.
The deal was disclosed in a court filing Wednesday evening in San Francisco federal court. Its terms were not made public, and McKinsey and a lawyer for the settling plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.”
About the public’s health
So far, this flu season is more severe than it has been in 13 years “Influenza is hitting the United States unusually early and hard, already hospitalizing a record number of people at this point in the season in more than a decade and underscoring the potential for a perilous winter of respiratory viruses, according to federal health data released Friday.”
Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, part 1: National cancer statistics “Cancer death rates continued to decline overall, for children, and for adolescents and young adults, and treatment advances have led to accelerated declines in death rates for several sites, such as lung and melanoma. The increases in incidence rates for several common cancers in part reflect changes in risk factors, screening test use, and diagnostic practice. Racial/ethnic differences exist in cancer incidence and mortality, highlighting the need to understand and address inequities. Population-based incidence and mortality data inform prevention, early detection, and treatment efforts to help reduce the cancer burden in the United States.”
Maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods and subsequent risk of offspring overweight or obesity: results from three prospective cohort studies “Maternal consumption of ultra-processed food during the child rearing period was associated with an increased risk of overweight or obesity in offspring, independent of maternal and offspring lifestyle risk factors. Further study is needed to confirm these findings and to understand the underlying biological mechanisms and environmental determinants.”
Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort “The findings from this large scale prospective cohort study suggest a potential direct association between higher artificial sweetener consumption (especially aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose) and increased cardiovascular disease risk. Artificial sweeteners are present in thousands of food and beverage brands worldwide, however they remain a controversial topic and are currently being re-evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority, the World Health Organization, and other health agencies.”
About healthcare IT
Association Between In-Person vs Telehealth Follow-up and Rates of Repeated Hospital Visits Among Patients Seen in the Emergency Department “Question Do the rates of repeated hospital visits differ between patients who were discharged following an emergency department (ED) visit and have in-person follow-up visits vs those who have telehealth follow-up visits?
Findings In this cohort study that included 16 987 ED visits, telehealth follow-up was associated with 28.3 more repeated ED encounters and 10.6 more return hospital admissions per 1000 patients compared with in-person follow-up.” The results were severity adjusted.
Teladoc shares jump as Q3 losses narrow, revenue exceeds expectations amid turbulent year “Revenue during the most recent quarter rose 17% to $611 million from $522 million a year ago, slightly surpassing analysts' expectations of $609 million.
The biggest driver of that growth was BetterHelp, Teladoc's direct-to-consumer mental health brand. BetterHelp revenue rose 35% as compared to a year ago…”