Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pfizer RSV Vaccine Highly Effective Against Severe Infant Infections
Reuters: Pfizer RSV Vaccine 82% Effective Vs Severe Infection In Infants, Final Data Shows
Pfizer Inc's experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine was 82% effective in preventing severe infections in infants when given to expecting mothers in the second half of their pregnancy, according to trial details published on Wednesday that confirm preliminary data from the study. Final data from the study that was halted early when it became clear the vaccine was effective was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. (4/5)
In other pharmaceutical news —
AP: Novel Treatment Shows Promise Against Rare Cancer In Kids
A novel treatment using supercharged immune cells appears to work against tumors in children with a rare kind of cancer, researchers reported Wednesday. Nine of 27 children in the Italian study had no sign of cancer six weeks after the treatment, although two later relapsed and died. The treatment — called CAR-T cell therapy — is already used to help the immune system fight leukemia and other cancers in the blood. This is the first time researchers have achieved such encouraging results in solid tumors, experts in the field said, and raises hopes that it can be used against other kinds of cancers. (Johnson, 4/5)
Stat: Can U.S. Cancer Drug Shortages Be Fixed?
Roughly two million Americans are expected to receive a cancer diagnosis this year. Some members of this already vulnerable group will wind up facing what physician Andrew Schuman recently called “a tragedy happening in slow motion” — an ongoing, nationwide shortage of critical oncology drugs that routinely save or extend the lives of children and adults. Speaking at a March 22 Senate hearing on drug shortages, Schuman, a head and neck surgeon at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, described the agonizing decisions that doctors must make when critical medicines are in short supply. (Neimark, 4/5)
The Wall Street Journal: These Drugs Are So Futuristic That Doctors Need New Training
Promising therapies include antisense oligonucleotides (or ASOs) which affect how proteins inside cells are made; Crispr gene editors that can cut, rewrite, or replace faulty genes; and other novel approaches. But there’s a hitch. Some of these drugs, as well as therapies in development for other conditions, are administered through lumbar punctures, which aren’t a routine part of doctors’ daily practices. They may involve infusions of a gene packaged inside the shell of a virus, which can lead to potential immune complications and can require close monitoring of patients. Some drugs need to be stored in special conditions, which can take complicated planning and coordination that few doctors have experienced. (Marcus, 4/5)
Bloomberg: ADM Targets Gut Health In Partnership With Startup Brightseed
One of the world’s biggest nutrition companies is zeroing in on the human gut to find breakthroughs in how plant molecules can be combined with food to help everything from the immune system to mental well-being. Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. announced on Thursday a partnership to develop products that target gut microbiome with Brightseed, a San Francisco-based startup that uses artificial intelligence to uncover molecules in plants that have direct links to human health. The companies didn’t disclose the size of the investment. (Chipman and Veloso Ribeiro, 4/5)
