About Covid-19
COVID DATA TRACKER WEEKLY REVIEW “As of July 27, 2022, the current 7-day moving average of daily new cases (126,272) decreased 0.9% compared with the previous 7-day moving average (127,478). A total of 90,749,469 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States as of July 27, 2022.”
COVID vaccine patch fights variants better than needles “A needle-free vaccine patch could better fight COVID-19 variants, such as Omicron and Delta, than a traditional needle vaccine according to a University of Queensland study in mice.
The research, conducted in partnership with Brisbane biotechnology company Vaxxas, tested the Hexapro SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine using the Vaxxas high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) technology, and the results found the patch was far more effective at neutralising COVID-19 variants.”
NorthShore reaches $10.3M settlement in vaccine mandate case “The settlement signifies the nation's first classwide lawsuit for healthcare workers over a COVID shot mandate, according to Liberty Counsel, a Christian organization that filed the lawsuit on behalf of employees who were denied a religious exemption for the health system's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The settlement agreement was filed on Friday, July 29 in the federal Northern District Court of Illinois.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
National Hospital Flash Report July report just issued: “U.S. hospitals and health systems are now halfway through an extremely challenging year. While margins were up in June compared to May,expenses remain at historic highs, leaving hospitals with cumulatively negative margins. In June, operating margins rose from the previous month, but remained significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels and May 2021. Outpatient volumes were up from the previous month, and expenses were generally down from May, but remain extremely elevated from pre-pandemic levels.”
The full report has much more detail.
About pharma
90% of Americans live close to a pharmacy, analysis finds “According to the findings, 48.1 percent of Americans live within 1 mile of a pharmacy, 73.1 percent within 2 miles, 88.9 percent within 5 miles and 96.5 percent within 10 miles.”
Characteristics Of Key Patents Covering Recent FDA-Approved Drugs “Among seventy-eight qualifying drug approvals in 2019 and 2020, ten had zero patents, and the remaining sixty-eight drugs listed 322 different patents (the median number was 4). The most common category of patents, based on the nature of the invention being protected, was chemical compound (201; 62 percent), followed by method of use (195; 61 percent). The median time from originator drug approval to the expiration date of the final patent listed on our date of data collection was 10.3 years. About one in five patents had no counterparts in other major jurisdictions around the world, suggesting either a different manufacturer strategy or a differing application of patent standards in the US than in other comparable settings. Patents covering newly approved drugs largely protect the product and its uses; this shows that patent reform, rather than changes to nonpatent exclusivities, is the key to ensuring timely generic entry.”
About the public’s health
NCCN Publishes New Patient Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnosis Emphasizing Annual Mammograms for All Average-Risk Women Over 40 “ ‘Most women with average risk should get screened every year, beginning at age 40, but if there are additional risk factors present, a provider might recommend an earlier start.’ According to the guidelines, women should undergo a risk assessment for developing breast cancer starting at age 25.”
Thousands of lives depend on a transplant network in need of ‘vast restructuring’ “The system for getting donated kidneys, livers and hearts to desperately ill patients relies on out-of-date technology that has crashed for hours at a time and has never been audited by federal officials for security weaknesses or other serious flaws, according to a confidential government review obtained by The Washington Post.”
A great piece of investigative journalism.
About health technology
‘New era in digital biology’: AI reveals structures of nearly all known proteins “DeepMind and its partners unveiled the likely structures of nearly all known proteins, more than 200 million from bacteria to humans, a striking achievement for AI and a potential treasure trove for drug development and evolutionary studies.” Fascinating article! The implications are enormous.
New Photoacoustic Endoscope Fits Inside a Needle “Researchers have created a photoacoustic imaging endoscope probe that can fit inside a medical needle with an inner diameter of just 0.6 millimeters. Photoacoustic imaging, which combines light and sound to create 3D images, can provide important clinical information…”
Bioadhesive ultrasound for long-term continuous imaging of diverse organs Research from MIT: “We report a bioadhesive ultrasound (BAUS) device that consists of a thin and rigid ultrasound probe robustly adhered to the skin via a couplant made of a soft, tough, antidehydrating, and bioadhesive hydrogel-elastomer hybrid. The BAUS device provides 48 hours of continuous imaging of diverse internal organs, including blood vessels, muscle, heart, gastrointestinal tract, diaphragm, and lung. The BAUS device could enable diagnostic and monitoring tools for various diseases.”