Drug Appears To Reduce COVID Patients’ Odds Of Ending Up In Hospital
Eli Lilly is developing the monoclonal antibody drug with biotechnology firm AbCellera.
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Lilly’s Covid-19 Antibody Helps Patients Rid Their Systems Of Virus Sooner
A drug being developed by Eli Lilly helped sick patients rid their systems of the virus that causes Covid-19 sooner and may have prevented them from landing in the hospital, according to newly released data. The drug is what is known as a monoclonal antibody, which experts view as being among the most likely technologies to help treat Covid-19. It’s a manufactured version of the antibodies that the body uses as part of its response to a virus. (Herper and Garde, 9/16)
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Cost Of Gilead's HIV Prevention Pill Thwarted Widespread Use, Study Finds
The escalating cost of the only HIV prevention pill may have been a key factor hindering widespread use in recent years, according to a new analysis by U.S. government researchers, underscoring long-standing concerns over the ability to eradicate the virus. From 2014 to 2018, total payments made by government programs, commercial insurers, and patients for Truvada, which was approved to prevent HIV in 2012, jumped from $114 million to nearly $2.1 billion. Yet the number of people who were given prescriptions in 2018 was just 204,700, which amounted to less than 20% of those estimated to have benefited from the medication. (Silverman, 9/16)
In biotech news —
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With Grail In Its Sights, Illumina Pursues Its Grand Vision
Illumina, the dominant maker of machines to sequence DNA, is in talks to purchase Grail, a developer of a blood test to detect cancer that uses Illumina’s technology. The discussions were first reported by Bloomberg News, and confirmed to STAT by a person with knowledge of the talks. The discussions could still fall apart at any time. (Herper, 9/16)
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A New Type Of Patient-Consumer Is Fueling Remote Monitoring's Rapid Growth
A cardiac patient in Carlsbad sends their doctor in San Francisco a readout of their heart rate, courtesy of an Apple Watch. A New Yorker with hypertension texts with an Alabama health coach about data from their smart blood pressure cuffs. A person with diabetes snaps a photo of their dinner and uses an app to predict how it will impact their blood sugar. Health care is undergoing a monumental shift toward remote patient monitoring — and a new class of patient-consumer is leading the charge, according to a new STAT report. (Brodwin, 9/16)
