Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Industry
Another study shows a high frequency of antibiotic use among patients hospitalized with Covid-19 (85.2%), despite low rates of confirmed secondary bacterial infections.
4 Jun, 2021 | 10:43h | UTCCommentaries: Very high use of antibiotics in COVID-19 treatment could be reduced – University of Glasgow AND More evidence of frequent antibiotic use noted in COVID patients – CIDRAP AND Covid-19: Antimicrobial use was high during first wave despite bacterial co-infections being rare, study finds – The BMJ
Related: Many hospitalized Covid-19 patients are given antibiotics. That’s a problem – STAT
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Our paper on co-infections, secondary infections & antimicrobial use in patients hospitalised with #COVID19 in UK during the 1st wave is out in @LancetMicrobe!@ISARIC1 @CCPUKstudy @CVRinfo @UofGlasgow @EdinburghUni @LivUni @imperialcollege https://t.co/QYU1B2Eyup
A?
— Antonia Ho (@DrToniHo) June 3, 2021
M-A: Prehospital Tranexamic Acid reduces mortality among bleeding trauma patients without increasing the risk of venous thromboembolism.
6 Jun, 2021 | 23:34h | UTCThe impact of prehospital TXA on mortality among bleeding trauma patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis – Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Prehospital TXA for Trauma – Meta-analysis – JournalFeed
In a Mendelian randomization study, researchers found no genetic evidence to support an association between Vitamin D levels and COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, or hospitalization.
4 Jun, 2021 | 10:35h | UTCCommentary: Vitamin D may not provide protection from COVID-19 susceptibility or disease severity, study suggests – PLOS
Related: Living systematic review: The evidence is insufficient to determine the benefits and harms of vitamin D supplementation as a treatment of COVID‐19. AND RCT: Vitamin D3 does not improve outcomes in hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19
RCT: Prophylactic post-exposure prophylaxis with Bamlanivimab reduced the incidence of Covid-19 among residents and staff of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities.
4 Jun, 2021 | 10:40h | UTCEditorial: Bamlanivimab for Prevention of COVID-19
United States Unveils Global Vaccine Sharing Scheme for 80 Million Doses by End June
4 Jun, 2021 | 10:32h | UTCSee also: Statement by President Joe Biden on Global Vaccine Distribution – The White House
RCT: Adjuvant Nivolumab vs. Placebo in Muscle-Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma.
3 Jun, 2021 | 10:36h | UTC
Israel reports link between rare cases of heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccination in young men.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:37h | UTCIsrael reports link between rare cases of heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccination in young men – Science (a few articles per month are free)
Commentary on Twitter
?Paging @CDCgov and @US_FDA
“In a report submitted today to the Israeli Ministry of Health, they conclude that between one in 3000 and one in 6000 men ages 16 to 24 who received the vaccine developed the rare condition.” https://t.co/aoz2rkgdwO
— Ramin Farzaneh-Far MD (@rfsquared) June 1, 2021
WHO validates Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use and issues interim policy recommendations.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:42h | UTCCommentary: WHO grants emergency approval to 2nd Chinese COVID vaccine – MedicalXpress
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
WHO today validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac #COVID19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies & communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing.
More ⬇️ https://t.co/Uy0xmGlAIT— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 1, 2021
After COVID-19 successes, researchers push to develop mRNA vaccines for other infectious diseases and cancer.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:34h | UTC
[Press release – not published yet] The city of Serrana in Brazil has seen a 95% drop in Covid-19 deaths after almost all adults were vaccinated with Chinese CoronaVac – The findings suggest the pandemic can be controlled after 75% of people are fully vaccinated.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:39h | UTCCommentaries: Study in Brazilian town shows 95% efficacy of Sinovac’s vaccine in reducing death by COVID-19 – Global Times AND Brazil Covid: Deaths plunge after town’s adults vaccinated – BBC AND Sinovac vaccine restores a Brazilian city to near normal – Associated Press
Systematic review: Driving performance under treatment of most frequently prescribed drugs for mental disorders – 31% of schizophrenic or schizoaffective patients under antipsychotics, and 18% of unipolar and bipolar patients under antidepressants showed severe impairment in skills relevant for driving.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:24h | UTC
Perspective | Can I get AstraZeneca now and Pfizer later? Why mixing and matching COVID vaccines could help solve many rollout problems.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:20h | UTC
Vaccines that can protect against many coronaviruses could prevent another pandemic.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:15h | UTCVaccines that can protect against many coronaviruses could prevent another pandemic – Science (a few articles per month are free)
M-A: Triple vs. dual inhaler therapy in patients with moderate to severe asthma – fewer severe asthma exacerbations, but without significant differences in quality of life or mortality.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:12h | UTCTriple vs Dual Inhaler Therapy and Asthma Outcomes in Moderate to Severe Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – JAMA (free for a limited period)
Commentary on Twitter
Among patients with moderate to severe asthma, triple therapy compared with dual therapy was significantly associated with fewer severe asthma exacerbations and modest improvements in asthma control but no significant difference in quality of life https://t.co/icKsWu0Md9 #ATS2021
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) May 19, 2021
AGA Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Medical Management of Moderate to Severe Luminal and Perianal Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:07h | UTCTechnical Review: AGA Technical Review on the Medical Management of Moderate to Severe Luminal and Perianal Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease
Clinical Decision Support Tool / Algorithm: Medical Management of Adult Outpatients With Moderate to Severe Lunminal Crohn’s Disease
Commentary on Twitter
Here are the @AmerGastroAssn guidelines on the management of moderate-severe Crohn disease. #GITwitter #GI #gut #IBD https://t.co/VlT4xTUE8t pic.twitter.com/ayYlpVkkod
— John Damianos, M.D. (@john_damianosMD) May 28, 2021
Opinion | 7 reasons why we should not need boosters for COVID-19.
31 May, 2021 | 08:21h | UTC7 Reasons Why We Should Not Need Boosters for COVID-19 – by Monica Ghandi, MD
Covid-19 vaccination prevents transmission from vaccinated to unvaccinated household members.
31 May, 2021 | 08:18h | UTCThe indirect effect of mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccination on unvaccinated household members – medRxiv
Commentary on Twitter
More on less transmission, yet another incentive:
"Our results suggest that mRNA-based vaccines do not only prevent #SARSCoV2 infections among vaccinated individuals but lead to a substantial reduction in infections among unvaccinated household members"https://t.co/sIqoOLiH3b pic.twitter.com/6rv2tojR2m— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 29, 2021
[Not published yet] Observational study in Uruguay found CoronaVac reduced mortality by 97 percent – “In people who had received two doses, it reduced infection with the coronavirus by 57 percent and intensive care admissions by 95 percent”.
31 May, 2021 | 08:14h | UTCCoronaVac reduces mortality by 97 percent: Uruguay study – Associated Press
Observational study suggests ceftriaxone is similarly effective to benzylpenicillin for the treatment of neurosyphilis, potentially decreasing the length of hospital stay (mean 13.8 days vs. 8.9 days).
31 May, 2021 | 08:06h | UTCCeftriaxone compared with benzylpenicillin in the treatment of neurosyphilis in France: a retrospective multicentre study – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Lab study found CoronaVac serum neutralization efficiency was significantly decreased against B.1.526, P.1, and B1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variants.
28 May, 2021 | 08:26h | UTC
COLCORONA RCT: Colchicine for community-treated patients with COVID-19 – findings suggest it may lower death and hospital admission rates, but further studies are required.
28 May, 2021 | 08:27h | UTCInvited Commentary: Exploiting an early immunological window of opportunity in COVID-19 – The Lancet Respiratory Medicine
RCT: Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine shows 100% efficacy in adolescents – mainly transient mild-to-moderate reactogenicity was frequently observed, such as injection-site pain (in 79 to 86% of participants), fatigue (in 60 to 66%), and headache (in 55 to 65%).
28 May, 2021 | 08:24h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
The 12-15 year-olds mRNA vaccine randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial is published @NEJM today [@BioNTech_Group/@Pfizer]https://t.co/7GlgC9xdd0
—100% efficacy (95% CI 75,100)
—1.8 X higher levels of neutralizing antibodies than 16-25 yr olds
—very good safety profile pic.twitter.com/hQzkpuA5Nu— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 27, 2021
Covid-19: Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is “likely” responsible for deaths of some elderly patients, Norwegian review finds.
28 May, 2021 | 08:22h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
The Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine is “likely” to have been responsible for at least 10 deaths of frail elderly people in nursing homes in Norway, an expert review concluded, although it emphasised considerable uncertainty around its conclusionshttps://t.co/w32jH6MtRH
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) May 27, 2021
RCT: 2 inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines show efficacy of 72.8% and 78.1% on symptomatic COVID-19 infection in adults.
27 May, 2021 | 08:38h | UTCCommentary: China’s Sinopharm Publishes Awaited Covid Vaccine Study Details – Bloomberg
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
The #4Humanity phase 3 trial of Sinopharm's Beijing & Wuhan vaccines published in JAMA by @NawalAlKaabi &co https://t.co/ldgUDZ9YTX HT @swiftshoes
WIV04 = Wuhan: efficacy 14 days+ after dose 2, 72.8% (58-82)
HB02 = Beijing: 78.1% (65-86)
Control group was vax adjuvant …1/n pic.twitter.com/AktyTQNoxI— Hilda Bastian, PhD (@hildabast) May 26, 2021
Can people vaccinated against COVID-19 still spread the coronavirus? – “Preliminary evidence seems to suggest the COVID-19 vaccines make it less likely someone who’s vaccinated will transmit the coronavirus”.
27 May, 2021 | 08:27h | UTCCan people vaccinated against COVID-19 still spread the coronavirus? – The Conversation
Related: Indirect Protection by Reducing Transmission: Ending the Pandemic with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination – “Tell the hesitant: the vaccines protect both you and protect others — a lot!”