Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Promising News In The Fights Against Cancer And HIV
Stat: Cancer Vaccine Cocktail Boosts Immune Response After Surgery, Study Says
Immunotherapies have transformed cancer care by enlisting the body’s own immune system to fight tumors that have evaded or hijacked normal defenses. But while checkpoint inhibitor drugs and bespoke CAR-T treatments have gained significant ground in recent years, another type of immunotherapy — cancer vaccines — have seen far less success. (Cooney, 11/20)
Medical News Today: Combination Cancer Vaccine Effective In Mouse Models
A team of scientists has recently developed a new vaccine for treating cancer, and it has shown promising results in mice — even in difficult-to-treat cancer. The treatment combines chemotherapy and immunotherapy in a single injection, which may open the door to a personalized, highly effective, and easy-to-administer therapy. (Huzar, 11/17)
Science: ‘Exceptional’ Cancer Patients Yield Clues To Better Drug Treatments
Although even the best cancer drugs don’t buy much time for most people whose cancer has spread, there are rare exceptions: the patients whose multiple tumors melt away and who remain healthy years later. Researchers have long dismissed these “exceptional responders” as unexplainable outliers. Now, an effort to systematically study them is yielding data that could help improve cancer treatments. (Kaiser, 11/19)
In news about HIV and AIDS —
The New York Times: H.I.V. Death Rates Fell By Half 2010-2018, C.D.C. Says
Deaths related to H.I.V. in the United States fell significantly from 2010 through 2018, regardless of sex, age, race or region, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday. The death rate declined over all by about half, a welcome sign in the fight against the virus, experts said. But the data also highlighted some troubling trends: Gains among women, Black people and those of multiple races were much smaller. And the rate of death was about twice as high in Southern states as in the Northeast. (Mandavilli, 11/19)
Axios: U.S. HIV Death Rate Dropped By Roughly Half Between 2010 And 2018
HIV-related deaths in the United States decreased significantly between 2010 and 2018 for all genders, ages, races and regions of the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in its weekly Morbidity and Mortality report on Thursday. The big picture: CDC researchers said in a new analysis that the decline is likely the result of improvements in diagnosing infections, treatment and medical care, but noted the data highlights higher death rates among women and people of color. (Knutson, 11/19)
NPR: A Long-Lasting, More Effective HIV Drug Is A Psychological Relief For Patients
Steven used to take a pill every morning to control his HIV. Then he heard about a study for a ground-breaking treatment where he wouldn't have to take any pills at all. "I get an injection in each butt cheek once a month," says Steven, an attorney based in Pittsburgh, Pa., who tested positive in 2015.He's asked us to withhold his last name because while he came out as gay last year, he hasn't come out to all his professional contacts. The drug he's getting is called Cabenuva. It's one of a new type of anti-AIDS drugs that need to be taken only a few times a year. (Beaubien, 11/19)
