Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Lung, Colorectal Cancers; Covid; Racism In The NEJM
ScienceDaily: A Type Of Allergy Medicine Might Help Treat Lung Cancer
Researchers have identified an allergy pathway that, when blocked, unleashes antitumor immunity in mouse models of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). And in an early parallel study in humans, combining immunotherapy with dupilumab -- an Interleukin-4 (IL-4) receptor-blocking antibody widely used for treating allergies and asthma -- boosted patients' immune systems, with one out of the six experiencing significant tumor reduction. (The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 12/6)
New England Journal of Medicine: Sotorasib Plus Panitumumab In Refractory Colorectal Cancer With Mutated KRAS G12C
In this phase 3 trial of a KRAS G12C inhibitor plus an EGFR inhibitor in patients with chemorefractory metastatic colorectal cancer, both doses of sotorasib in combination with panitumumab resulted in longer progression-free survival than standard treatment. (Fakih et al, 12/7)
CIDRAP: Study Spotlights How COVID-19 Admissions Burdened ICUs
COVID-19 hospital admissions greatly affected occupancy rates of intensive care units (ICUs) across 45 US states, according to a new study in JAMA Health Forum. The study looked at hospital occupancy rates for each week in 2020 at 3,960 hospitals, as recorded by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases, and compared the number of occupied beds to the same week in 2019. Each week was categorized based on the number of COVID-19 admissions per 100 beds, with 15 admissions per 100 considered high COVID-19 activity, and less than 1 per 100 considered low. (Soucheray, 12/4)
CIDRAP: Excess Deaths Soared In US Prisons During First Year Of COVID-19
The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a dramatic increase in deaths among jailed Americans, a new study in Science Advances shows, with deaths among prisoners 3.4 times greater than in the general population in 2020. Overall, total mortality increased 77% in 2020 relative to 2019, the authors said. (Soucheray, 12/4)
Stat: New England Journal Of Medicine Addresses Racist History, Slavery
The New England Journal of Medicine, the world’s oldest continually published medical journal, publicly reckoned with its history and complicity surrounding slavery and racism Wednesday, publishing the first of a series of essays by independent historians on the role the prestigious publication has played in perpetuating racist thinking in medicine that continues to this day. (McFarling, 12/6)
