Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drug Against Most Common Pediatric Brain Cancer Achieves Trial Success
Stat: Day One Drug Shrinks Tumors In Common Pediatric Brain Cancer
Day One Biopharmaceuticals said Sunday that a targeted therapy shrank tumors by at least 50% in a majority of children with the most common form of pediatric brain cancer, setting up a potential approval in a rare disease long overlooked by drugmakers. (Mast, 1/8)
The Wall Street Journal: 71-Year-Old Cancer Patient Broke Trial Age Limits For A Chance At A Cure
After Mikhail Rubin learned his lethal blood disease had progressed, he decided that he wanted a stem-cell transplant through a clinical trial. But there was an obstacle: his age. Mr. Rubin, who is now 72, was too old to participate. Many cancer trials cap enrollment at age 65. Even when trials for older people are available, oncologists are reluctant to enroll elderly patients because frailties might make them less resilient against side effects from toxic treatments, according to a 2020 study in an American Cancer Society journal. People over 70 represent a growing share of the cancer-patient population but are vastly underrepresented in clinical trials, the study said. (Dockser Marcus, 1/8)
CBS News: A New Wheelchair From The Inventor Of The Steadicam
When watching TV or movies, smooth, steady shots are something some take for granted. They somehow move quickly across the floor without any bumps or a sense of vertigo. As it turns out, viewers can thank Garrett Brown and his groundbreaking invention, the Steadicam, for those shots. (1/7)
Fox News: Honey As An Alternative To Sugar? New Study Indicates The Health Benefits
Consuming raw honey from a single floral source may improve blood sugar control and lower cholesterol levels when taken within the context of a healthy diet, according to a recent study published in Nutrition Reviews. (Sudhakar, 1/7)
CIDRAP: Study Finds 'Major Reservoir' Of Resistance In Wastewater Of Southeast Asia, Western Pacific
Wastewater and wastewater treatment plants in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific could be potential hotspots for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), according to a study published this week in The Lancet Planetary Health. (Dall, 1/6)
In research news connected to covid and the pandemic —
CIDRAP: Studies Detail Omicron Immune Protection After Infection, Vaccination
Researchers in Portugal mined a national COVID-19 registry for data on more than 9.3 million vaccinated people 12 years or older from Jan 1 to Sep 14, 2022, a period of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 predominance. The team compared previously infected people with their uninfected peers. In Portugal, virtually all people had received a vaccine booster dose. The research was published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. (Van Beusekom, 1/6)
San Francisco Chronicle: Bivalent Boosters Substantially Cut Hospitalizations In November, Data Show
American adults who did not receive an updated COVID-19 bivalent booster were nearly three times more likely to require hospitalization for a coronavirus infection in November, according to data published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Vaziri, 1/6)
San Francisco Chronicle: Stanford Scientists Pinpoint Virus’ Entry And Exit Ports Inside The Nose
Stanford Medicine scientists have pinpointed the routes the coronavirus takes to enter and exit cells inside the nasal cavity. “Our upper airways are the launchpad not only for infection of our lungs but for transmission to others,” said Peter Jackson, a professor of pathology and of microbiology and immunology, who led the study co-funded by the National Institutes of Health and published Thursday in the journal Cell. (Vaziri, 1/6)
CIDRAP: As More Organs Affected, Outcomes Worsen In Kids With Post-COVID Syndrome
A study of more than 4,100 US patients hospitalized with the post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) suggests that deaths, length of stay, adverse drug reactions, and the proportion of Black patients rose along with the number of organ systems involved. (Van Beusekom, 1/6)
