Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: COVID; Pneumonia; Psychosis; Appendicitis; Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
CIDRAP: Study: HIV Drug Of No Benefit To Hospitalized COVID Patients
The combination drug lopinavir-ritonavir is not recommended for hospitalized COVID-19 patients because it doesn't significantly shorten hospital stay or lower the risk of needing mechanical ventilation or of dying, according to a study yesterday in The Lancet. The ongoing University of Oxford–sponsored Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY (RECOVERY) trial involving coronavirus patients at 176 hospitals in the United Kingdom is the first known large, randomized, controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of lopinavir-ritonavir for this indication. (Van Beusekom, 10/6)
CIDRAP: Women More Likely To Embrace COVID-19 Prevention Behaviors
A report in Behavioral Science & Policy finds that women are more likely than men to embrace preventive public health practices, including physical distancing, mask wearing and hand hygiene, to combat COVID-19. The report details the findings of three studies showing gender differences in pandemic-related behavior during the peak period of the pandemic in the United States: an 800-participant online survey of public health behaviors, an observational study of mask wearing among 300 pedestrians in three large metro areas, and a county-level analysis of movement using anonymous cell phone data from 15 million users nationwide. (10/6)
Nature: Face Masks: What The Data Say
The science supports that face coverings are saving lives during the coronavirus pandemic, and yet the debate trundles on. How much evidence is enough? The science supports that face coverings are saving lives during the coronavirus pandemic, and yet the debate trundles on. How much evidence is enough? (Peeples, 10/6)
CIDRAP: CARB-X To Fund Development Of Novel Antibacterial For Pneumonia
CARB-X announced today that it is awarding up to $2.5 million to GangaGen Biotechnologies of Bangalore, India, to develop novel antibacterial proteins to treat hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae. The money will fund preclinical development of klebicins, which are naturally occurring protein antibiotics that have shown potent activity against K pneumoniae in in vivo studies. Klebicins specifically target and kill K pneumoniae without harming beneficial bacteria in the microbiome. (10/5)
New England Journal of Medicine: A Randomized Trial Comparing Antibiotics With Appendectomy For Appendicitis
Antibiotic therapy has been proposed as an alternative to surgery for the treatment of appendicitis. METHODS: We conducted a pragmatic, nonblinded, noninferiority, randomized trial comparing antibiotic therapy (10-day course) with appendectomy in patients with appendicitis at 25 U.S. centers. The primary outcome was 30-day health status, as assessed with the European Quality of Life–5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire (scores range from 0 to 1, with higher scores indicating better health status; noninferiority margin, 0.05 points). Secondary outcomes included appendectomy in the antibiotics group and complications through 90 days; analyses were prespecified in subgroups defined according to the presence or absence of an appendicolith. (10/1)
The Lancet: Real-World Long-Term Outcomes In Individuals At Clinical Risk For Psychosis: The Case For Extending Duration Of Care
Most services for individuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P) provide short-term clinical care. This study determines the real-world and long-term clinical outcomes beyond transition to psychosis in a large cohort of CHR-P individuals. (Fusar-Poli et al, 10/7)
New England Journal of Medicine: Atezolizumab For First-Line Treatment Of PD-L1–Selected Patients With NSCLC
The efficacy and safety of the anti–programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) monoclonal antibody atezolizumab, as compared with those of platinum-based chemotherapy, as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with PD-L1 expression are not known. (Herbst et al, 10/1)
