Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Industry
RCT: Early treatment of Covid-19 with SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody Sotrovimab is associated with reduced risk of hospitalization.
28 Oct, 2021 | 10:20h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
In this phase 3 trial, sotrovimab or placebo was administered to outpatients within 5 days after the onset of #COVID19 symptoms. Patients receiving sotrovimab had a lower incidence of hospitalization for any reason. #IDTwitter https://t.co/4VcgoK3xac pic.twitter.com/W82v3jNRmB
— NEJM (@NEJM) October 27, 2021
Merck to allow other nations to produce new COVID-19 antiviral.
28 Oct, 2021 | 10:18h | UTCMerck to allow other nations to produce new COVID-19 antiviral – CIDRAP
See also:
Merck will allow drugmakers in other countries to make its COVID-19 pill – NPR
Related:
Video: Merck’s Covid pill could transform treatment. Here’s how it works.
How antiviral pill Molnupiravir shot ahead in the COVID drug hunt.
What we know — and don’t know — about Merck’s new Covid-19 pill.
Merck’s Covid-19 pill is great news but may not be a game-changer.
Video | A Pill For COVID? A Doctor Explains Molnupiravir.
RCT: Early treatment with fluvoxamine reduced the risk of emergency care and hospitalization among patients with COVID-19.
28 Oct, 2021 | 10:22h | UTCCommentaries:
The TOGETHER Trial: COVID-19 and Fluvoxamine Take Two – REBEL EM
The antidepressant fluvoxamine can keep COVID-19 patients out of the hospital – ScienceNews
Related:
Commentary on Twitter
NEW in @LancetGH: Using SSRI #fluvoxamine to treat high-risk outpatients with early-diagnosed #COVID19 reduced the need for prolonged observation in an emergency setting or hospitalisation: largest trial to date. https://t.co/BVtMju74lp @TogetherTrial pic.twitter.com/F1FnZuyqdY
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) October 27, 2021
What COVID vaccines for young kids could mean for the pandemic.
28 Oct, 2021 | 10:15h | UTCWhat COVID vaccines for young kids could mean for the pandemic – Nature
Related: FDA advisory panel recommends Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine be authorized for children ages 5 to 11.
RCT: A geriatric assessment–driven intervention can reduce chemotherapy-related toxic effects in older adults with cancer.
28 Oct, 2021 | 09:50h | UTCGeriatric Assessment–Driven Intervention (GAIN) on Chemotherapy-Related Toxic Effects in Older Adults With Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Oncology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary on Twitter
Randomized trial with 604 older patients with cancer starting a new chemo regimen showed the incidence of grade 3 or higher chemo-related toxic effects was significantly lower in those who underwent a geriatric assessment-driven intervention https://t.co/QtOgmLDRU1
— JAMA Oncology (@JAMAOnc) October 1, 2021
FDA advisory panel recommends Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine be authorized for children ages 5 to 11.
27 Oct, 2021 | 01:48h | UTCFDA advisory panel recommends Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine be authorized for children – STAT
See also:
Tracking the FDA advisory panel meeting on Covid-19 vaccines for kids – STAT
FDA advisory panel recommends Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 – NPR
Mix-and-match COVID vaccines ace the effectiveness test – “No need for brand loyalty”.
27 Oct, 2021 | 01:42h | UTCMix-and-match COVID vaccines ace the effectiveness test – Nature
Related:
Should You Mix and Match Your Booster Shot?
A primer on what we know about mixing and matching Covid vaccines.
Another study shows increased immune response with heterologous Oxford-AstraZeneca/mRNA vaccination.
RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Heterologous AstraZeneca/Pfizer vaccination seems to be associated with increased effectiveness against Covid-19 compared to homologous Pfizer/Pfizer vaccination.
27 Oct, 2021 | 01:44h | UTCImmunogenicity and efficacy of heterologous ChadOx1/BNT162b2 vaccination – Nature
Related:
Should You Mix and Match Your Booster Shot?
A primer on what we know about mixing and matching Covid vaccines.
Another study shows increased immune response with heterologous Oxford-AstraZeneca/mRNA vaccination.
RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Commentary on Twitter
A dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine followed by a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine confers better protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection than two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, according to a study in healthcare workers published in @Nature. https://t.co/6hIVkiOLQ1 pic.twitter.com/AmsyVUMpoj
— Nature Portfolio (@NaturePortfolio) October 26, 2021
Opinion | We Need to Ground Truth Assumptions about Gene Therapy – “Researchers, practitioners and patients must balance the discipline’s promise with its reality”.
27 Oct, 2021 | 01:21h | UTCWe Need to Ground Truth Assumptions about Gene Therapy – Nature
Anticoagulants and diabetes agents are among the most frequent causes of emergency department visits attributed to medication harms.
27 Oct, 2021 | 01:15h | UTCUS Emergency Department Visits Attributed to Medication Harms, 2017-2019 – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries:
Number of emergency room visits for medication harms increases with age – MedicalResearch.com
Blood thinners, diabetes meds among top causes of drug-related ER visits – UPI
Systematic Review: Antibiotics for the treatment of COVID‐19 – “We are certain that risk of death in hospitalized COVID‐19 patients is not reduced by treatment with azithromycin after 28 days”.
26 Oct, 2021 | 02:07h | UTCAntibiotics for the treatment of COVID‐19 – Cochrane Library
Commentary on Twitter
JUST PUBLISHED – Are #antibiotics an effective treatment for #COVID19 & do they cause unwanted effects? https://t.co/EVHduxmtdD New Cochrane Review looked at evidence from 11 studies: ❌ antibiotic azithromycin is not an effective treatment, 🤔not enough research on other types.
— The Cochrane Library (@CochraneLibrary) October 22, 2021
RCT: Ozanimod as induction and maintenance therapy for ulcerative colitis.
27 Oct, 2021 | 01:19h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Visual Abstract: Ozanimod Therapy for Ulcerative Colitis https://t.co/P3XpOvV49P pic.twitter.com/ubqgQX94uW
— NEJM (@NEJM) October 6, 2021
[Press release – not published yet] Moderna says its COVID vaccine produced a strong antibody response for kids 6 to 11.
26 Oct, 2021 | 02:06h | UTCPress release: Moderna Announces Positive Top Line Data from Phase 2/3 Study of COVID-19 Vaccine in Children 6 to 11 Years of Age
Commentary: Moderna says new data supports its COVID vaccine for kids 6 to 11 – NPR
Pragmatic randomized trial found similar rates of surgical site infectious with 2% alcoholic chlorhexidine skin preparation compared with povidone–iodine, or with triclosan-coated sutures compared with non-coated sutures.
26 Oct, 2021 | 01:52h | UTCCommentaries:
Prevention of surgical site infection in low-resource settings – The Lancet
Commentary on Twitter
2% alcoholic chlorhexidine skin preparation and triclosan-coated sutures – no benefit in preventing surgical site infection in clean-contaminated or contaminated or dirty surgical woundshttps://t.co/QVkdYYmDvP pic.twitter.com/8hAO5lqFTV
— K Pavithran (@drkpavithran) October 25, 2021
Infection with Covid-19 carries a much higher risk of developing neurological complications than Covid-19 vaccines.
26 Oct, 2021 | 02:04h | UTCOriginal Study: Neurological complications after first dose of COVID-19 vaccines and SARS-CoV-2 infection – Nature Medicine
Commentaries:
Covid: Vaccine study links virus to rare neurological illness – BBC
Commentary on Twitter
A study in @NatureMedicine finds there is an increased risk of neurological complications in those who received COVID-19 vaccines, but the risk of these complications is greater following a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. https://t.co/WKnFa9InbL pic.twitter.com/xir6U3JhL8
— Nature Portfolio (@NaturePortfolio) October 25, 2021
What It Means To Be Fully Vaccinated.
26 Oct, 2021 | 01:57h | UTCWhat It Means To Be Fully Vaccinated – Think Global Health
Anticancer drug-induced life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias: a World Health Organization pharmacovigilance study.
26 Oct, 2021 | 01:26h | UTCEditorial: QT prolongation and cancer therapeutics: a coming Tempest or Much Ado About Nothing?
Commentary: Anticancer Drug-Induced Life-Threatening Ventricular Arrhythmias – American College of Cardiology
Commentary on Twitter
Anticancer drug-induced life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias: a World Health Organization @WHO pharmacovigilance study https://t.co/ONAIFmOjZV #EHJ #ESCYoung #ventriculararrhythmias #cardiotwitter @ehj_ed @rladeiraslopes pic.twitter.com/t0fjoVy7fw
— European Society of Cardiology Journals (@ESC_Journals) August 23, 2021
Opinion | COVID STEROID-2: Double the steroid, double the fun? – “Dexamethasone 6 mg/day alone is likely suboptimal for most patients with severe COVID pneumonia. Dexamethasone 12 mg/day may provide a reasonable intensity of immunomodulation”.
25 Oct, 2021 | 00:01h | UTCCOVID STEROID-2: Double the steroid, double the fun? – PulmCrit
Commentary on Twitter
COVID-STEROID 2
🥈5% lower mortality with 12 mg dexamethasone (vs 6 mg) – which is *huge* – but p=0.09 😩
🥈RCTs with toci/bari show that 6 mg dex alone is suboptimal.
🥈If using dex monotherapy, 12 mg is now a sensible dose for sicker pts.
Fresh blog: https://t.co/oPz7vAYHGN pic.twitter.com/diDqqUxSTC— 𝙟𝙤𝙨𝙝 𝙛𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙖𝙨 💊 (@PulmCrit) October 23, 2021
Half doses, third doses, kids’ doses: Covid vaccine delivery goes next-level difficult.
24 Oct, 2021 | 23:52h | UTCHalf doses, third doses, kids’ doses: Covid vaccine delivery goes next-level difficult – STAT
AstraZeneca vaccination not linked to reduced fertility rates and adverse birth outcomes.
24 Oct, 2021 | 23:58h | UTCFertility rates and birth outcomes after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccination – The Lancet
Related:
Editorial: Covid-19 treatments and vaccines must be evaluated in pregnancy.
Study shows high effectiveness of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy.
5 Crucial Things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy.
CDC Guidance: Pregnant people should be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Cohort study: Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine associated with 78% lower risk of Covid-19 in pregnancy.
Commentary on Twitter
New research letter: Fertility rates and birth outcomes after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccination. Authors analysed pregnancies occurring in four ongoing clinical trials in the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. https://t.co/hDM1olKts9@OxfordVacGroup | #COVID19 #AstraZeneca pic.twitter.com/m5qvWhPcph
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) October 23, 2021
RCT: The association of Varenicline and Nicotine patch was not better than Varenicline alone to increase smoking abstinence; there was also no difference between 24-week vs. 12-week treatment courses in abstinence rates.
24 Oct, 2021 | 23:45h | UTCEffects of Combined Varenicline With Nicotine Patch and of Extended Treatment Duration on Smoking Cessation: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (free for a limited period)
Editorial: Is There a Role for Combined Use of Varenicline and Nicotine Patch or Extended Treatment Duration to Enhance Smoking Cessation? – JAMA (free for a limited period)
Commentary: Varenicline Combo, Extension No Better for Quitting Smoking – HealthDay
Commentary on Twitter
Study findings do not support the use of combined varenicline plus nicotine patch therapy (vs varenicline monotherapy) or of extended treatment duration (24 vs 12 weeks) for smoking cessation https://t.co/XcQMQZgQb9
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) October 19, 2021
The cost-effectiveness of cefazolin compared to anti-staphylococcal penicillins for the treatment of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.
24 Oct, 2021 | 23:41h | UTCRelated:
Meta-Analysis: Cefazolin vs. Antistaphylococcal Penicillins for MSSA Bacteremia
Commentaries on Twitter
While Cefazolin and anti-staphylococcal penicillins (ASPs), such as nafcillin, are the preferred treatments for MSSA bacteremia it looks more and more like Cefazolin is really the preferred approach. https://t.co/6FVVEWMxBY
— Daniel Griffin MD PhD (@DanielGriffinMD) October 8, 2021
New in OFID: The use of cefazolin is a cost-effective strategy for the treatment of methicillin-sensitive S. aureus bacteremia and, when clinically appropriate, results in health care cost-savings.
📄: https://t.co/lRfsZdMjLJ#IDSAJournals @PaulSaxMD @DrJLi @ElMylonakis pic.twitter.com/hhzik4ppUW
— IDSA (@IDSAInfo) October 8, 2021
M-A: In patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, combination therapy does not reduce mortality and is associated with increased risks of adverse events.
24 Oct, 2021 | 23:42h | UTC
[Press release – not published yet] A phase 3 trial with more than 10,000 participants showed a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had an efficacy of 95.6% against disease; there were 5 cases in the booster group and 109 cases in the non-boosted group, not classified according to severity.
22 Oct, 2021 | 10:34h | UTC
Commentaries on Twitter
This will presumably mean everyone gets boosters early next year. That’s great, because they do work. Except it’s likely to be boosters for rich countries at the expense of primary vaccination for poorer countries. You won’t stop the pandemic when half the world is unvaccinated https://t.co/F31DMSI2zf
— Niall Conroy (@NICU_doc_salone) October 21, 2021
The 1st randomized trial of a booster (3rd) shot in 10,000 people, placebo-controlled, shows 95.6% efficacy, with 5 cases (Pfizer vaccine) vs 109 in placebo group, Delta variant, broad benefit across age groups https://t.co/TQpF35d8Jk pic.twitter.com/3RkqvXNfsU
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) October 21, 2021
RCT: Mirtazapine not better than placebo for the treatment of agitation in people with dementia and was possibly associated with increased mortality (7 vs.1 deaths, difference not statistically significant; p=0·065).
22 Oct, 2021 | 10:19h | UTCCommentary: Common antidepressant should no longer be used to treat people with dementia – University of Exeter