About Covid-19
Moderna completes FDA submission for use of COVID shot in adolescents, kids “Moderna Inc has made all necessary submissions required by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents and children, it said on Wednesday.
The company is seeking approval for the use of its vaccines in three distinct age groups – adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, children aged six to 11 and those between six years and six months.”
And in a related story: Evaluation of mRNA-1273 Covid-19 Vaccine [Moderna] in Children 6 to 11 Years of Age” Estimated vaccine efficacy was 88.0% (95% CI, 70.0 to 95.8) against Covid-19 occurring 14 days or more after the first injection, at a time when B.1.617.2 (delta) was the dominant circulating variant…
Two 50-μg doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine were found to be safe and effective in inducing immune responses and preventing Covid-19 in children 6 to 11 years of age; these responses were noninferior to those in young adults.”
FDA approves Olumiant for certain adults hospitalized with COVID-19 “The FDA has approved a new indication for Olumiant as a treatment for adults hospitalized with COVID-19 who require supplemental oxygen, noninvasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
The Janus kinase inhibitor Olumiant (baricitinib; Eli Lilly & Co.) is the first immunomodulatory treatment to be approved by the FDA for COVID-19, according to the agency.”
About health insurance
Better Quality, Lower Costs When Providers and Health Plans Share Financial Risk “Consistent with prior years, the results released for 2020 show that better care and lower costs typically result when plans and providers share in the financial risk through a capitation arrangement compared to fee-for-service models. This analysis is based on data from 11 health plans, representing 7.9 million commercial lives cared for under health maintenance organization (HMO), preferred provider organization (PPO), and exclusive provider organization (EPO) products, both fully insured and self-insured.”
About pharma
Bristol Myers provides Bridge over troubled water with $905M deal to enter SHP2 race “Bristol Myers Squibb came to the rescue of a beleaguered BridgeBio today, striking a $905 million biobuck deal to secure a rival to oncology candidates in development at Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi and more…
SHP2 has emerged as a hot cancer target as drug developers have sought to maximize the efficacy of KRAS inhibitors. With some research suggesting SHP2 inhibition diminishes the cycling of KRAS between two states, the mechanism could help to unlock the full power of therapies such as Amgen’s Lumakras and Mirati Therapeutics’ adagrasib.”
Lundbeck Q1 sales up as Brintellix, Rexulti, Abilify post double-digit gains “Headline results for the first quarter:
Revenue: DKK 4.4 billion ($625 million), up 2%
Profit: DKK 412 million ($59 million), versus DKK 631 million ($90 million) in the prior year”
About the public’s health
Primary Care Appointment Completion Rates and Telemedicine Utilization Among Black and Non-Black Patients from 2019 to 2020 “Racial differences in appointment completion rates narrowed significantly in 2020 even as the mix of disease conditions began to mirror patterns observed in 2019.”
About healthcare personnel
Nurse.com 2022 Nurse Salary Research Report “A few sobering statistics:
+ The vacancy rate for registered nurses was almost 10% in 2020, almost a full point higher than the prior year. Over a third of hospitals reported a vacancy rate higher than 10%.3
+ Nurse turnover rates are increasing, standing at about 22% in 2021, compared to 18% in 2019.4
+ It takes an average of three months to recruit a qualified nurse to fill a vacancy, a period that is expected to increase in the wake of the disruptions caused by COVID-19.3
The AONL survey found that 90% of nurse leaders anticipate post-pandemic staffing shortages,2 and hospital CEOs rank personnel shortages as their top concern…
Key Takeaways
1. Nursing salaries are up for most groups
The median RN salary reported by survey respondents was $78,000. This was a substantial increase over the median RN salary of $73,000 reported in our 2020 report…
2. The pandemic has had a profound impact on whether nurses want to stay in the profession and under what terms.
Our survey found that 29% of survey respondents were considering leaving nursing. This percentage, which includes nurses across all licensures, is substantially higher than the 11% who indicated they were consid- ering leaving in our 2020 survey…
3. The gender pay gap for RNs widened.
One factor may be that male nurses are more likely to negotiate their salary.
The current survey shows the median salary for a male RN as $14,000 higher than the median salary for a female RN. This gap was $7,297 in our 2020 survey”
Many more stats in this report.
Assessing the lingering impact of COVID-19 on the nursing workforce In a related study from McKinsey: “By 2025, we estimate the United States may have a gap of between 200,000 to 450,000 nurses available for direct patient care, equating to a 10 to 20 percent gap. To meet this demand, the United States would need to more than double the number of new graduates entering and staying in the nursing workforce every year for the next three years straight.”
About health technology
FDA Approves Fujirebio Diagnostics’ Lumipulse G ß-Amyloid Ratio Test for Alzheimer’s “The FDA has approved Fujirebio Diagnostics’ in vitro diagnostic test for early detection of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Lumipulse test, which is the first of its kind to be approved by the agency, is intended for patients age 55 and up who have symptoms of cognitive impairment and are being evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of cognitive decline.”