Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
MRNA Vaccine Prevented Melanoma From Returning, Drugmakers Say
The Washington Post: Cancer Treatment Could Face Landmark Moment With Promising Vaccine
An experimental drug that uses messenger RNA to deliver a vaccine customized to a patient’s tumors effectively prevented skin cancer recurrence in a large-scale clinical trial, according to new results announced by drugmakers Wednesday. Researchers have explored the use of mRNA drugs — the same technology behind the leading coronavirus vaccines that helped end the pandemic — to treat cancer for years, but this one is the first to clear a Phase 3 trial, according to Moderna and Merck. That opens the door for the Food and Drug Administration to potentially approve the first ever mRNA-based cancer treatment, in what would be a landmark moment for the fast-emerging field. (Wu and Cha, 8/19)
In other news about clinical trials —
The New York Times: How One Woman With A Very Rare Disease Secured A Clinical Trial
Neena Nizar is tiny, just 3 feet 9 inches tall. Her arm bones curve inward just above her wrists and elbows. Her ribs are bent, her neck bones are bent, her skull is bent. She uses a wheelchair and suffers from constant pain. But she’s energetic, enthusiastic and charismatic. For 10 weeks this summer, she lived in a hospital room at the National Institutes of Health, as the one and only participant in a study of an experimental drug for her rare genetic disorder, Jansen’s disease. Only 30 people in the world are known to have Jansen’s — and three of them are Ms. Nizar and her two sons. (Kolata, 8/17)
KFF Health News: You Want To Join A Clinical Trial. Here’s What To Know About The Hurdles
Connecting people with clinical trials is complicated — even if people identify a promising match, there’s a slew of potentially thorny factors, including geographic incompatibility, and financial and time considerations. Simply finding an appropriate trial can present an enormous hurdle. In a recent online survey of more than 2,000 adults, 71% of patients with chronic conditions said they would be likely to participate in a clinical trial if given the chance. But two-thirds said that their healthcare provider had never discussed clinical trials with them. According to one study using data from 2020, just 9% of adults reported ever being invited to participate in a clinical trial. (Andrews, 8/19)
More health and wellness news —
MedPage Today: Citing Deaths, Docs Urge NCAA To Limit Energy Drink Marketing To Kids
A group of physicians and scientists are calling on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to make changes to its massive collaboration between Big 12 athletics and Monster Energy, citing potential health risks and teen deaths associated with energy-drink consumption. (Robertson, 8/18)
AP: Pilots And Flight Attendants Have High Cancer-Death Risk, Study Finds
Flight attendants and pilots are at the highest risk of dying from radiation-related cancers — even more than people who work with radioactive materials, according to a new study. Cosmic radiation comes from space. Only a small amount reaches the Earth’s surface, but exposure is greater for people flying at high altitudes. There’s been limited evidence from small studies suggesting that the exposure translates to higher cancer death rates among people who fly often — particularly pilots and flight attendants. (Stobbe, 8/18)
The Washington Post: Fewer American Adults Say They’re Gambling
Significantly fewer adults in the United States said they’ve gambled in the past year, according to a new survey from Gallup. Gallup estimated that 45 percent of adults participated in at least one form of gambling in the previous 12 months, down from 64 percent in 2016. The estimates are based on telephone interviews with more than 2,000 participants. (Reynolds, 8/18)
KFF Health News: Medicare’s Paying Less For Cataract Surgery. Eye Doctors Are Turning To Lucrative Lasers
Tammy Chalala, a retired dietitian in New York, was thrilled with the results of her cataract surgeries, which left her with close to 20/20 vision. She said she paid nearly $4,000 out-of-pocket for her two surgeries last year because she opted to have her doctor use a laser to assist with the procedure. Chalala, 69, chose that method over the traditional scalpel after doing research online and consulting with her doctors, believing it would give her the best outcome. “It seemed like the better option,” she said. (Galewitz, 8/19)
