Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Adult Autism Diagnoses Are On The Rise Due To Increased Awareness
CBS News: Autism In Adulthood Is On The Rise. A Maryland Medical Expert Explains The Symptoms
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has long been associated with childhood diagnoses, but as new research shows a shift, a Maryland medical expert is sharing insight into symptoms for adults. A recent study shows that a growing number of adults are learning they've been living with autism for their entire lives. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, recorded a 450% increase in autism diagnoses among adults ages 26 to 34 between 2011 and 2022. (Zizaza, 5/29)
The Guardian: New AI Test Can Predict Which Men Will Benefit From Prostate Cancer Drug
Doctors have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can predict which men with prostate cancer will benefit from a drug that halves the risk of dying. Abiraterone has been described as a “gamechanger” treatment for the disease, which is the most common form of cancer in men in more than 100 countries. It has already helped hundreds of thousands with advanced prostate cancer to live longer. (Gregory, 5/29)
CIDRAP: Although US Candidemia Incidence Holds Steady, Death Rates Rose During COVID-19
US surveillance for candidemia shows a stable to slightly increasing incidence but a rising death rate from 2017 to 2021, likely influenced by overwhelmed healthcare systems amid the pandemic and more patients susceptible to Candida species because of severe COVID-19 infections. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state public health departments, and healthcare systems tracked candidemia cases and deaths at city or county sites in 10 states for 5 years, publishing the results today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Van Beusekom, 5/29)
In pharmaceutical studies —
CIDRAP: Phase 3 Trial For Oral CUTI Antibiotic Stopped Early For Efficacy
Drug makers Spero Therapeutics and GSK announced yesterday that a phase 3 trial evaluating their investigational oral antibiotic for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs) was stopped early for efficacy. ... GSK says it plans to submit data from the trial to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval of tebipenem HBr, which targets cUTIs caused by multidrug-resistant organisms—infections typically treated with intravenous (IV) carbapenem antibiotics. If approved, it would be the first oral carbapenem to receive marketing approval in the United States. (Dall, 5/29)
The Wall Street Journal: Sanofi, Regeneron’s Itepekimab Delivers Mixed Results In Late-Stage Trials
Sanofi and Regeneron said that drug candidate Itepekimab met the primary goal in one of two chronic obstructive pulmonary disease phase 3 studies, but didn’t hit the main objective of a second trial. The French pharmaceutical company on Friday said that Itepekimab in former smokers with inadequately controlled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease met the primary endpoint of a statistically significant reduction in moderate or severe acute exacerbations compared to placebo of 27% at week 52. (Kienle, 5/30)
CIDRAP: Norovirus Vaccine Produces Mucosal Immunity In Phase 2b Trial
An oral tablet norovirus vaccine generated mucosal immunity and reduced viral shedding in participants in a new phase 2 placebo-controlled challenge study. The results were published recently in Science Translational Medicine. Despite being the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) worldwide, there are currently no vaccines for norovirus (NV). In the past, phase 3 field trials have produced a lack of robust immunological correlates of protection, the authors of the study said, which is likely a problem of producing systemic, rather than targeted intestinal immunity, from the virus. (Soucheray, 5/29)
MedPage Today: These Two Stimulants Should Be Contraindicated During Pregnancy, Group Says
Consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen is sounding the alarm about potential risks for birth defects associated with modafinil (Provigil) and armodafinil (Nuvigil), two stimulants commonly prescribed during pregnancy. The group argued that animal toxicity studies and post-marketing observational studies have turned up sufficient evidence to justify additional precautions for pregnant patients. (Robertson, 5/29)
Also —
The New York Times: Robert Jarvik, A Designer Of The First Artificial Heart, Dies At 79
Dr. Robert K. Jarvik, the principal designer of the first permanent artificial heart implanted in a human — a procedure that became a subject of great public fascination and fierce debate about medical ethics — died on Monday at his home in Manhattan. He was 79. His wife, the writer Marilyn vos Savant, said the cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease. (Longman, 5/29)
