Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: COVID; Guillain-Barré Syndrome; Migraine; Prostate Cancer; Hepatitis C
CIDRAP: Low Risk Of Severe COVID-19 Noted For Young Kids
A French study in Pediatrics today reports a low risk of severe COVID-19 for children less than 3 months old and points to low blood oxygen levels and high levels of inflammatory proteins as reliable predictors of severe disease in children. Researchers conducted a surveillance study of 60 hospitals—representing 38.5% of French children hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2. ... Nearly all (92%) of these infants presented with a fever. (12/15)
CIDRAP: Study Finds No Link Between COVID-19, Guillain-Barré Syndrome
A large epidemiologic study in the United Kingdom today finds no association between COVID-19 and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune condition linked to other bacterial and viral infections. GBS is a rare neurologic disease that attacks the peripheral nervous system—typically the feet, hands, and limbs—causing numbness, weakness, pain, and occasionally, fatal paralysis or permanent neurological effects. The most common trigger for GBS is infection with Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterial strain that causes gastroenteritis, or infection of the digestive tract. (Kuebelbeck Paulsen, 12/14)
New England Journal of Medicine: Efficacy Of Tocilizumab In Patients Hospitalized With Covid-19
Tocilizumab was not effective for preventing intubation or death in moderately ill hospitalized patients with Covid-19. Some benefit or harm cannot be ruled out, however, because the confidence intervals for efficacy comparisons were wide. (Stone et al, 12/10)
CIDRAP: UK Trial Finds No Benefit From Azithromycin In Hospital COVID-19 Patients
Investigators with the United Kingdom's RECOVERY trial reported yesterday that a preliminary analysis of data from the azithromycin arm of the trial showed the antibiotic had no impact on clinical outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. In the trial, which was conducted among COVID-19 patients at 176 National Health Service hospitals, 2,582 patients were randomized to receive 500 milligrams of azithromycin, an antibiotic, once daily and compared with 5,182 patients who received usual care. Patients entered the study an average of 8 days after onset of symptoms. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality, and the results, which were not peer-reviewed, were published on medRxiv, a preprint server. (12/15)
CIDRAP: Survey: Most Prefer COVID Messages That Note Scientific Limits
Most German residents surveyed as part of a study published today in JAMA Network Open said they prefer COVID-19 public health messaging that acknowledges scientific uncertainty, suggesting that admitting to incomplete knowledge fosters public trust and motivates compliance. Published as a research letter by investigators from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, the study involved randomly sampling, from Jul 13 to 20, adult German residents who were part of an online research panel of more than 80,000 residents. Their aim was to test the validity of the assumption that communicating scientific uncertainty generates public mistrust and noncompliance in Germany, where coronavirus-related government and public health messages have sometimes not acknowledged their scientific limits. (Van Beusekom, 12/10)
CIDRAP: High Risk Of Death, Readmission Found After Hospitalization For COVID-19
A JAMA study yesterday of veterans hospitalized for COVID-19 found that the first 10 days after hospitalization are the most dangerous for patients, with a 40% to 60% higher risk of death or readmission compared with similar patients treated for pneumonia or heart failure. A research team from the University of Michigan and Veterans Administration (VA) Ann Arbor Healthcare System compared outcomes for 2,179 veterans hospitalized for COVID-19 and discharged from 132 US VA hospitals from Mar 1 to Jul 1 with nearly 5,300 similar patients hospitalized for non–COVID-19 pneumonia and heart failure during the same period. (12/15)
Also —
The Lancet: Oral Rimegepant For Preventive Treatment Of Migraine: A Phase 2/3, Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Rimegepant is a calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist that has shown efficacy and safety in the acute treatment of migraine. We aimed to compare the efficacy of rimegepant with placebo for preventive treatment of migraine. (Croop et al, 12/15)
New England Journal of Medicine: Survival With Olaparib In Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Among men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who had tumors with at least one alteration in BRCA1, BRCA2, or ATM and whose disease had progressed during previous treatment with a next-generation hormonal agent, those who were initially assigned to receive olaparib had a significantly longer duration of overall survival than those who were assigned to receive enzalutamide or abiraterone plus prednisone as the control therapy, despite substantial crossover from control therapy to olaparib. (Hussain et al, 12/10)
PLOS ONE: Knowledge, Attitudes, And Acceptability Of Direct-Acting Antiviral Hepatitis C Treatment Among People Incarcerated In Jail: A Qualitative Study
While U.S. jails are critical sites for engagement in HCV care, short lengths-of-stay often do not permit treatment in jail. Therefore, linkage to HCV care after incarceration is crucial. However, little is known about HCV treatment acceptability among justice-involved individuals in U.S. jails. The goal of this study was to understand knowledge, attitudes, and acceptability of HCV treatment among people living with HCV in the New York City (NYC) jail system. (Akiyama et al, 12/2)
