Gilead’s HIV Drug Prevents Infection With One Shot A Year Instead Of Two

Stat: Gilead Data Suggests Yearly Shot Of PrEP Drug Blocks HIV Infection 
Last year, Gilead released data showing that an HIV drug, called lenacapavir, could provide virtually complete protection against infection with just a single injection every six months. The drug, now under regulatory review, was greeted as a breakthrough, the closest thing the field has ever had to a vaccine. On Tuesday, Gilead published early data suggesting a new formulation of the drug  could be used to prevent infection with just a single shot every year. (Mast, 3/11)

More pharma and tech news —

CNN: Microplastics May Enable Spread Of Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs, Study Says 
By being an excellent host for slimy biofilms created by bacteria to protect themselves from attack, microplastics may be contributing to the proliferation of dangerous antibiotic-resistant superbugs, a new study found. (LaMotte, 3/11)

CNN: Man Lives For 100 Days With Artificial Titanium Heart In Successful New Trial 
An Australian man lived for 100 days with an artificial titanium heart while he awaited a donor transplant, the longest period to date of someone with the technology. The patient, a man in his 40s who declined to be identified, received the implant during surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital Sydney last November. (Whiteman, 3/12)

Axios: AI Failed To Detect Critical Health Conditions: Study
AI systems designed to predict the likelihood of a hospitalized patient dying largely aren't detecting worsening health conditions, a new study found. Some machine learning models trained exclusively on existing patient data didn't recognize about 66% of injuries that could lead to patient death in the hospital, according to the research published in Nature's Communications Medicine journal. (Goldman, 3/12)

KFF Health News: Some CT Scans Deliver Too Much Radiation, Researchers Say. Regulators Want To Know More. 
Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco medical school, has spent well over a decade researching the disquieting risk that one of modern medicine’s most valuable tools, computerized tomography scans, can sometimes cause cancer. Smith-Bindman and like-minded colleagues have long pushed for federal policies aimed at improving safety for patients undergoing CT scans. Under new Medicare regulations effective this year, hospitals and imaging centers must start collecting and sharing more information about the radiation their scanners emit. (Kenen, 3/12)

In health industry updates —

NBC News: Hospitals Keep Dodging Price Transparency Rules, Leading Trump To Take Action — Again
For 17 years, Michelle Arroyo did everything she could to keep her son alive after he’d been diagnosed with brain cancer at 6 years old. The single mom from California moved from Orange County to Los Angeles to be closer to the best doctors and medical facilities, quit her job in real estate to care for her son around-the-clock and liquidated all her financial assets, including her retirement account. But despite her best efforts, Arroyo’s son, Grayson Arroyo-Smiley, died in 2023 at 22 years old, leaving Arroyo distraught and saddled with mounting medical bills that soared, she said, into the millions. (Francis, 3/12)

Stat: End-Of-Life Doulas Gain Ground As Caretakers For The Dying
For the Rev. Beth Stotts, death is a natural part of her ministry. A major aspect of her job is guiding her congregants through their most vulnerable moments from birth throughout life. The struggles she has seen in her community led her to seek more training to help people face death, and in 2022 she added another credential to her spiritual one: end-of-life doula. (Empinado, 3/12)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'An Arm And A Leg': Medical-Debt Watchdog Gets Sidelined By The New Administration
The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has taken major steps to help people with medical debt in its nearly 14-year history. It issued rules barring medical debt from Americans’ credit reports and went after debt collectors who pressured customers to pay bills they didn’t owe. But in early February, the Trump administration moved to effectively shutter the agency. “An Arm and a Leg” host Dan Weissmann talks with credit counselor Lara Ceccarelli about how the CFPB has helped clients at the nonprofit where she works, and how she’s navigating the sudden change. (3/12)

KFF Health News: Sent Home To Heal, Patients Avoid Wait For Rehab Home Beds 
After a patch of ice sent Marc Durocher hurtling to the ground, and doctors at UMass Memorial Medical Center repaired the broken hip that resulted, the 75-year-old electrician found himself at a crossroads. He didn’t need to be in the hospital any longer. But he was still in pain, unsteady on his feet, unready for independence. Patients nationwide often stall at this intersection, stuck in the hospital for days or weeks because nursing homes and physical rehabilitation facilities are full. Yet when Durocher was ready for discharge in late January, a clinician came by with a surprising path forward: Want to go home? (Freyer, 3/12)