Viewpoints: Who Should Take New Alzheimer’s Drugs?; Most Can Wait For New Covid Boosters
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health topics.
Chicago Tribune:
The Ethical Implications Of Prescribing New Alzheimer's Medicines
Alzheimer’s disease was first named and described in 1910. It is disgraceful that for most of the 20th century, the disease was underfunded by the government, neglected by most of the medical community and ignored by Big Pharma. It was not until 1994, more than 80 years after the disease was discovered, that the Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug for Alzheimer’s. (Cory Franklin and Victoria Tiller, 8/25)
The Washington Post:
Most People Can Wait Until The Fall To Get Their Next Covid Booster
While some people have specific circumstances prompting them to get a shot now, most Americans can wait until the updated booster is released in late September to early October. (Leana S. Wen, 8/24)
Bloomberg:
Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Helping Restore Patients' Speech
Two new studies published simultaneously in the journal Nature document a leap forward in the race to teach computers to translate brain signals into text. It’s an exciting development in a field that is attracting millions in investment, including to Elon Musk’s brain-implant company, Neuralink Corp. (Lisa Jarvis, 8/24)
Stat:
How To Make AI Work For Medicine
Advancements in LLMs such as ChatGPT and GPT-4 have generated substantial excitement. Many see these models as assistants or even potential replacements for time-intensive tasks, like patient-physician communication through the electronic health record. Designed to serve numerous downstream applications, these models convert data into representations that are useful for multiple tasks. As a result, they have been labeled “foundation models.” (Jenna Wiens, Rada Mihalcea and Brahmajee K. Nallamothu, 8/25)
