Childhood Vaccine Shows Potential In Treating Cancer; Too Many Covid Patients Given Antibiotics

ScienceDaily: Can Immunity From Routine Vaccines Be Used To Fight Cancer? 
A team has demonstrated in theory that a protein antigen from a childhood vaccine can be delivered into the cells of a malignant tumor to refocus the body's immune system against the cancer, effectively halting it and preventing its recurrence. (University of Massachusetts Amherst, 10/10)

American Academy of Pediatrics: The Effectiveness Of Maternal Pertussis Vaccination Administered During Pregnancy And Risk Of Pertussis In Infants 
Pertussis vaccination during pregnancy is routine because it can reduce pertussis in newborn infants through the first 2 months after birth. However, some concerns have been raised that this impedes the ability of infants to develop their own robust antibody response, which is referred to as a “blunting effect.” (please see references 4, 5, or 6 of the corresponding commentary by Dr. Kathryn Edwards linked below) How serious is this blunting effect? (First, MD, MS, 10/9)

On covid vaccines and treatments —

CIDRAP: US Data Show Many COVID Patients Received Antibiotics On Admission 
A new study by researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that despite a decrease in overall antibiotic use, most US adults hospitalized with COVID-19 continued to receive antibiotics beyond the first year of the pandemic. (Dall, 10/9)

CIDRAP: Study: Paxlovid Cuts Hospitalization, Death Only In At-Risk COVID Patients With Weak Immune Systems 
Today in JAMA Network Open, an observational Canadian study ties the antiviral drug combo nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) to a lower risk of hospitalization or death only in very high-risk COVID-19 patients with weakened immune systems. University of British Columbia researchers in Vancouver analyzed rates of severe COVID-19 outcomes among 6,866 adult COVID-19 patients by their vulnerability to severe disease and immune system status from February 1, 2022, to February 3, 2023, a period dominated by the Omicron variant. The team classified the patients into one of four groups given early priority for COVID-19 vaccination. (Van Beusekom, 10/2)

CIDRAP: COVID Booster Uptake Hindered By Prior Infections, Fear Of Side Effects
Only 20% of Americans eligible for COVID-19 boosters get them, and today in Vaccine, researchers published the results of a new survey of 2,000 US adults to understand why uptake is so low. Participants were part of the Arizona CoVHORT, a prospective trial that began in May 2020. All 2,196 participants had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and were asked about if they had received a bivalent (two-strain) COVID-19 booster. If respondents said they had not, they were asked why. (Soucheray, 10/3)

CIDRAP: Moderna Reports Promising Results For COVID-Flu MRNA Vaccine 
Moderna today reported positive interim results from a phase 1/2 trial of its mRNA combination vaccine against COVID and flu and said it would advance the vaccine, called mRNA 1083, to a phase 3 trial. In a statement, the company said researchers evaluated the vaccine's safety and immunogenicity compared to a standard dose of Fluarix flu vaccine in adults ages 50 to 64 and to a the high-dose Fluzone vaccine in adults ages 65 to 79. For both age-groups, they compared mRNA 1083 to its Spikevax COVID booster. (Schnirring, 10/4)

CIDRAP: Kids In State With Flu Vaccine Mandate More Likely To Be Vaccinated, Study Finds 
Children in a state with an influenza vaccine mandate during the 2020–2021 flu season were much more likely to be vaccinated than those in non-mandate states, according to a study published today in Pediatrics. (Van Beusekom, 10/10)