Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Possible Covid Treatments Sought
Fox News: Coronavirus Treatment With Umbilical Cord-Derived Stem Cells Shows Promise, Experts Call For Large Trials
After a small study suggested stem cells from umbilical cords offered coronavirus patients a safe treatment, boosting survival rates and fast-tracking recovery, outside experts are echoing calls for large, multicenter clinical trials to conclude efficacy. The anti-inflammatory effects from so-called mesenchymal stem cells have sparked interest among some scientists in the search for additional treatments against the novel virus, especially as the country continues to set record-highs in daily deaths, and more contagious variant strains pose a threat to already burdened health systems. Researchers from the University of Miami published early findings in the Stem Cells Translational Medicine journal last week. In a double-blind randomized trial, half of 24 coronavirus patients suffering from lung damage received two stem cell infusions, with 100 million cells each, several days apart, while the other 12 patients had two infusions of placebo. (Rivas, 1/14)
Boston Globe: Researchers Test Common Drugs In Quest For Treatments For Early COVID-19
Little-noticed groups of medical researchers are racing to find treatments for COVID-19 in its early stages, hoping to keep infected people out of the hospital with everyday remedies like antidepressants or vitamins. Instead of seeking new drugs, the researchers are pulling common generics off pharmacy shelves, and even eyeing the nutritional-supplement aisles, in search of agents with proven safety and, perhaps, hidden superpowers. And they’re pioneering a new approach to medical research — mail-order clinical trials, in which patients can take the medication and monitor its effects without leaving home. (Freyer, 1/14)
In other research news —
CIDRAP: Men More Vulnerable To COVID-19 Complications, Death Than Women
Men are more likely to test positive for COVID-19, have complications, and die from their infections than females—regardless of age, according to a study published yesterday in PLOS One. The study, led by researchers at Houston Methodist Research Institute in Texas, used electronic medical record data from a large healthcare provider to analyze the link between sex and COVID-19 in 14,992 adults from Mar 2 to Aug 22, 2020. (1/14)
Stat: Former Merck Employee Arrested For Stealing Trade Secrets On Cancer Research
A former Merck (MRK) cancer researcher was arrested and charged with stealing a raft of trade secrets just before taking a job with a competitor, according to the Department of Justice. In a criminal complaint filed in a federal court in New Jersey, officials allege that Shafat Quadri, who was employed as a director of medical and scientific affairs for immuno-oncology, allegedly copied and removed thousands of files containing proprietary information on various projects researching treatment for different cancers. (Silverman, 1/14)
