Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Regeneron Says Antibody Treatment Protects Against Covid
Reuters: Regeneron's Antibody Drug Shows Protection Against Covid For Up To 8 Months
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said on Monday a single dose of its antibody cocktail reduced the risk of contracting Covid-19 by 81.6 percent in a late-stage trial, in the two to eight months period following the drug's administration. The data is expected to support the ongoing regulatory review to extend the antibody therapy's use in preventing Covid in people who are not exposed to the virus. (11/8)
AP: EU Drug Agency Looking At Data On Merck's COVID-19 Pill
The European Union’s medicines agency on Monday began reviewing Merck’s COVID-19 treatment pill so that it can swiftly advise national drug authorities in the 27-nation bloc that want to begin using it before it gets official approval. The European Medicines Agency said in a statement that it will give “EU-wide recommendations in the shortest possible timeframe to help national authorities decide on possible early use of the medicine, for example, in emergency use settings.” The Amsterdam-based agency will give the recommendations while a comprehensive review of molnupiravir continues ahead of a possible application to market the drug. (11/8)
On risks —
Dallas Morning News: Unvaccinated People 20 Times More Likely To Die From COVID-19 Than Vaccinated, New Texas Data Shows
During the month of September, Texans not vaccinated against COVID-19 were 20 times more likely to die from COVID-19-related complications and 13 times more likely to test positive than people who were fully vaccinated, according to a new study by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The protective effect of vaccination was most pronounced among younger people. From Sept. 4 to Oct. 1, the risk of COVID-19 death was 23 times higher in unvaccinated people in their 30s and 55 times higher for people in their 40s, when compared with their vaccinated peers, the study found. (Huang, 11/8)
CIDRAP: COVID Patients In Poor Areas At High Risk For Death, Heart Events
US residents of low-income, crowded, and racially diverse communities had outsized rates of death, heart attack, stroke, and new-onset heart failure when hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19, according to an abstract on preliminary study results to be presented at the virtual American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions Nov 13 to 15. A team led by Emory University researchers used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to identify US poor and diverse US communities. The index ranks communities based on socioeconomic status, household composition and disability status, racial group and primary language, and housing type and transportation resources. (Van Beusekom, 11/8)
On persistent symptoms —
CIDRAP: Half Of Rheumatology Patients Report Persistent Symptoms After COVID-19
Over half of adults diagnosed as having a rheumatologic disease reported persistent COVID-19 symptoms at least a month after recovery from their infection, according to survey results presented late last week at the virtual American College of Rheumatology annual meeting. A news release from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City described the study, in which researchers emailed surveys to 7,505 men and women 18 years and older who had been treated for rheumatologic conditions at the hospital from 2018 to 2020. (11/8)
San Francisco Chronicle: So You've Got Long COVID? Here Are 5 Things You Should Know
Four years ago, I developed a debilitating illness that disrupts multiple bodily systems called myalgic encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome (otherwise known as ME/CFS). I’d been a strategy consultant for tech startups for years. Suddenly, I was too sick to work full-time. I went from being an avid salsa dancer to needing a wheelchair to walk more than a block. I went from being healthy to disabled in the blink of an eye. But I’m not here to share my sob story. Instead, I want to show you the future. (Seiberg, 11/8)
Also —
Axios: Cue Health Unveils Its At-Home COVID-19 Test
San Diego-based Cue Health, which went public in September and is best known for providing COVID-19 tests to Google, the Defense Department and the NBA, is now debuting a consumer version of its product, available for purchase on Nov. 15. With experts predicting that the virus will be with us for at least a few years in some form, at-home testing is likely to become a growing need for many people. Cue Health’s system includes individually wrapped cartridge packs that also include a nasal swab, and a small square device that processes the test and connects to a mobile device via Bluetooth. (Kokalitcheva, 11/9)
