Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Antibiotic Use In Children Younger Than 2 Linked To Ongoing Illnesses
CNN: Antibiotic Use In Babies Linked To Allergies, Asthma And Other Conditions, Study Finds
Children younger than two who are given antibiotics are more likely to have a number of ongoing illnesses or conditions later in life, a new study finds. Babies and toddlers who received one dose of antibiotics were more likely to have asthma, eczema, hay fever, food allergies, celiac disease, problems with weight and obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder later in childhood, according to the study published Monday in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. (LaMotte, 11/16)
In other pharmaceutical and biotech news —
Stat: Federal Authorities Issue Strong Warning To Pharma Over Speaker Programs
A federal watchdog agency has issued an unusual warning to the pharmaceutical industry to avoid using kickbacks — specifically, under the guise of so-called speaker programs — to entice doctors to write more prescriptions. (Silverman, 11/16)
Stat: Concerns Linger Over Cytokinetics, Amgen Heart Failure Drug
Cytokinetics and Amgen on Friday presented a deeper analysis from a large clinical trial of their chronic heart failure drug, showing a greater benefit for subgroups of patients with more advanced heart failure. The new findings are somewhat better than the initial study results presented in October. (Feuerstein, 11/13)
Stat: Failed Study Spawns Debate About Fish-Oil-Derived Drugs
The results of a new study are re-igniting a debate among cardiologists as to whether a prescription fish oil product, Vascepa, reduces patients’ risk of heart attacks and strokes. The study doesn’t test Vascepa, made by Amarin Corp., but another drug called Epanova, which is made by AstraZeneca. (Herper, 11/16)
Bangor Daily News: UMaine Grads Develop Cream From Lobster Fluid To Treat Dry Skin
Two University of Maine graduates have started a cosmetics skincare company that aims to help people treat their dry skin with lobster fluid. The company, Marin Skincare, uses a protein from lobster hemolymph — a circulatory fluid that functions like blood — as the active ingredient in its hydration cream, which it says can soothe skin irritated by eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis and other ailments. (Trotter, 11/16)
Stat: A Google Brain Scientist Turns To AI To Make Medicine More Personal
The artificial intelligence Maithra Raghu studies at Google Brain doesn’t have a bedside manner. But she’s betting it can still help restore a deeply human, disappearing aspect of modern medicine: personal connection. (Chen, 11/16)
