Single Monoclonal Antibody Injection Prevented Covid In Trial
A new study showed adintrevimab prevented covid in a clinical trial, with no serious side effects reported. Meanwhile, the FDA is looking at which composition this fall's covid shots should use. Long covid, the collapse of covid test maker Ellume, and more are also in the news.
CIDRAP:
Monoclonal Antibody Injection Shown To Prevent COVID-19 During Delta, Omicron
A single injection of the monoclonal antibody adintrevimab prevented COVID-19 in the phase 2/3 EVADE trial, finds a study yesterday in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. The randomized controlled trial measured outcomes among 2,582 vaccine-naive participants ages 12 years and older who received either a single 300-milligram intramuscular injection of adintrevimab or placebo. ... There were no serious side effects reported during the study. (Soucheray, 6/14)
More on covid —
CNN:
FDA Advisers To Vote On Composition Of Fall Covid-19 Boosters
A panel of outside advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration will vote Thursday on the composition of updated Covid-19 vaccines that are expected to roll out in the fall, as the pandemic continues to recede from daily life but the coronavirus shows no signs of slowing its evolution. In documents posted this week, the FDA said available evidence suggests that the new vaccine should protect against just one strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus – a departure from the currently available bivalent vaccines – and should target one of three that are currently circulating in the US. Called XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16 and XBB.2.3, they’re all sublineages of the Omicron variant. (Tirrell, 6/15)
Time:
Want to Predict the Next Big COVID-19 Variant to Hit the U.S.? Look to Airports
With the summer travel season about to begin, public-health officials face a daunting challenge in keeping on top of ever-evolving COVID-19 variants. Most countries—including the U.S.—have scaled down or eliminated pandemic measures, including pre-flight testing and screening, giving the virus a greater opportunity to slip into countries undetected and start spreading. But even though the U.S. now has less robust COVID-19 data collection, one important but little-known source remains: samples from international passengers flying into the U.S. (Park, 6/14)
Bloomberg:
Covid Test Maker Ellume Set To Liquidate After Failed Sale To Hough Consolidated
An Australian company that clinched the first US clearance for its at-home Covid-19 test kit has collapsed into liquidation after a sale to a competitor fell through. Covid-19 test maker Ellume Ltd.’s sale to Hough Consolidated Pty Ltd. unraveled this week, and the company is now winding down operations, according to a statement. Hough had agreed to buy the company in December for $38 million (A$56 million), but the deal fell apart after Hough made repeated requests to extend deadlines tied to the agreement. (Griffin and Pollard, 6/14)
KFF Health News:
Tech Luminaries Give RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Message A Boost
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the latest scion of the Kennedy clan to seek the presidency, has a set of unusual fans: some of the most influential tech executives and investors in America. Kennedy’s strong anti-vaccine views are, for this group, a sideshow. “Tearing down all these institutions of power. It gives me glee,” said one of his boosters in tech, Chamath Palihapitiya, a garrulous former Facebook executive, nearly two hours into a May episode of the popular “All-In” podcast he co-hosts with other tech luminaries. The person who might help with the demolition was the show’s guest, Kennedy himself. (Tahir, 6/15)
On long covid —
San Francisco Chronicle:
‘Game Changer’: 5 Long COVID Treatments Researchers Are Excited About
For now, research into treatments for long COVID is focused on repurposing drugs that are already on the market for other ailments. These medications are largely being studied as treatments for specific symptoms of long COVID, rather than for the disease as a whole. And while it could be a year or more before clinical trials lead to the regulatory approval of a medication to treat long COVID symptoms, researchers — including one who is a long COVID patient — told The Chronicle that they’re excited about treatments in the pipeline that tackle the illness in a variety of ways. Here are five they highlighted. (Castro-Root, 6/15)
Forbes:
InnovationRx: Scientists May Have Figured Out What’s Behind Long Covid
Doctors are still trying to make sense of long Covid, which is still impacting hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people who were infected during the pandemic. The persistent symptoms often leave patients suffering, with no real good treatment options. But there may be some hope on the horizon: researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the Allen Institute have discovered that at the root of long Covid may be an overactive inflammatory response. This builds on previous research which also suggested a link between an inflammatory response and long Covid. The type of inflammation is similar to that seen in rheumatoid arthritis, and it’s possible that for long Covid patients with this type of inflammation, treatments used for that disease might be helpful here. (Knapp and Rice, 6/14)
How rough will the next flu season be? —
Fox News:
Early Surge Of Flu Activity In Australia Has Doctors On Alert For What May Happen In US This Fall And Winter
Epidemiologists this summer are closely watching the sharp rise in flu activity in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is currently winter, to see if it’s a sign of what’s to come in the U.S. The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care reported an increase in influenza-like illness activity in almost all jurisdictions in the final two weeks of May. The illness activity was highest in young children ages 5 to 9, followed by children 4 years and younger, and then those ages 10 to 14. (Sudhakar, 6/14)
