Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Institute For Clinical And Economic Review To Investigate Covid Therapies
Modern Healthcare: ICER To Review Efficacy Of COVID-19 Treatments
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review plans to review the efficacy of several of the most commonly used COVID-19 treatments. An independent review panel will deliberate and vote on a report presented during the group's Midwest Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council in April, the organization announced Wednesday. The interventions under evaluation include casirivimab and imdevimab, sold by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals under the brand name REGEN-COV. Use of this treatment, which received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration last November, has increased in states like Florida and Texas, where vaccination rates are low while new COVID-19 cases have been spiking. (Ross Johnson, 8/26)
WMFE: Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Sites Are Not Reaching Full Capacity
Gov. Ron DeSantis visited The Villages on Wednesday to announce the opening of another state monoclonal antibody treatment site for COVID-19 sufferers with mild symptoms. But treatment locations around Florida have the capacity to treat many more patients. Florida’s 20 or so locations have treated more than 10,000. DeSantis says none are at capacity. (Byrnes, 8/26)
Axios: Demand For COVID Treatments Surges As Cases Mount
Demand has soared in recent weeks for monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 infections. Monoclonal antibodies — the treatment then-President Trump received when he got COVID — had a slow initial uptake, but are now gaining ground in the pandemic's fourth wave. A handful of states with low vaccination rates and little willingness to take other safety precautions are leading the charge to make these treatments more available. (Reed, 8/27)
In news about ivermectin —
CNN: Arkansas Doctor Under Investigation For Prescribing Ivermectin Thousands Of Times For Covid-19 Despite FDA Warning
The Arkansas Medical Board is investigating after a doctor said he prescribed an anti-parasitic drug "thousands" of times for treatment of Covid-19, including to inmates in an Arkansas jail. The FDA has been warning against the use of ivermectin for treatment of Covid-19 since March. The drug is used to treat parasitic infections, primarily in livestock, and the CDC recently cautioned about an increase in reports to poison centers of severe illness caused by the drug. (Sayers and Riess, 8/27)
Houston Chronicle: Houston Doctor Treats COVID Patients With Anti-Parasite Drug Ivermectin, Despite FDA Warnings
A Houston doctor says he is using the anti-parasite medication ivermectin with a combination of drugs to treat COVID-19 patients, despite warnings from federal health officials that it could cause serious harm when used to combat the virus. Dr. Joseph Varon, chief medical officer at United Memorial Medical Center, on Thursday told the Houston Chronicle that he has used ivermectin since the start of the pandemic in all COVID patients. He said he administers a low dosage based on the people’s weight with a cocktail of steroids and vitamins. (Gill, 8/26)
CNBC: Clamoring For Ivermectin, Some Turn To Pro-Trump Telemedicine Website
When users visit the telemedicine website SpeakWithAnMD.com, they are immediately hit with a warning: “Due to overwhelming demand, we are experiencing longer than usual wait times.” The demand is for ivermectin, a drug primarily used to deworm animals that has become the latest false cure for Covid-19. And the website, in partnership with the organization America’s Frontline Doctors, whose founder stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, has become well-known in the Facebook groups and Reddit communities where anti-vaccination sentiment thrives. (Collins and Zadrozny, 8/27)
