Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Industry
Perspective | SARS-CoV-2 human challenge studies — establishing the model during an evolving pandemic.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:49h | UTCRelated: World’s first coronavirus “Human Challenge” study receives ethics approval in the UK (several texts on the subject) AND Are SARS-CoV-2 Human Challenge Trials Ethical? – “A clinical trial is underway in the UK in which young, healthy participants are exposed deliberately to SARS-CoV-2 to assess the viral inoculum needed to produce an infection and to test vaccine efficacy”.
CDC releases new guidelines for the treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:41h | UTCTable of Contents: Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021
Related (just released): WHO Guidelines for the management of symptomatic sexually transmitted infections.
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Here's my greatest hits from today’s new @CDCSTD #STI Treatment Guidelines: a 🧵
1)#STI guidelines instead of #STD!
2)Expedited Partner Therapy: not just for “heterosexuals” 👏
3)#HepatitisC: screen all pregnant people
4)Rectal/throat GC/CT: consider for non-MSM like teens 👏 pic.twitter.com/gfEhrWpMKA— Ina Park (@InaParkMD) July 22, 2021
RCT: Dolutegravir or Darunavir in combination with Zidovudine or Tenofovir to treat HIV.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:25h | UTCDolutegravir or Darunavir in Combination with Zidovudine or Tenofovir to Treat HIV – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Dolutegravir Confirmed as Effective Second-Line HIV Therapy; Recycling Tenofovir Noninferior to Zidovudine – Medscape (free registration required)
Study shows AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are effective against Delta variant, but both doses are needed.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:16h | UTCCommentaries: Study Finds Pfizer And AstraZeneca Vaccines Effective Against The Delta Variant — As Long As You Get Both Doses – Forbes AND Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine works very well against the Delta variant — but only after 2 doses – Insider
Related: [Preprint] 2 doses of Covid vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca) highly effective against hospitalization from Delta variant. AND Reduced sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 variant Delta to antibody neutralization. AND Should I get my second AstraZeneca dose? Yes, it almost doubles your protection against Delta.
Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/hildabast/status/1417964189566472195
RCT: Dapagliflozin in patients with cardiometabolic risk factors hospitalized with COVID-19 – safe, but no statistically significant risk reduction in organ dysfunction or death.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:08h | UTCCommentary: Dapagliflozin in patients with COVID-19: truth or dare – The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology
Should children get COVID vaccines? What the science says.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:06h | UTCShould children get COVID vaccines? What the science says – Nature
Opinion | The benefits of a COVID vaccine far outweigh the small risk of treatable heart inflammation.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:57h | UTC
Analysis finds benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh risks of rare cases of myocarditis.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:05h | UTCNews release: Study finds benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh risks of rare cases of myocarditis – American Heart Association
Original study: Myocarditis with COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines – Circulation
Commentary: Myocarditis and COVID-19 Vaccines: New Review Tackles Knowns, Unknowns – TCTMD
Commentary on Twitter
Just published ahead of print- Myocarditis with Covid mRNA Vaccines https://t.co/mc2yrr5pDV Mechanisms, benefit of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination over low risk, management strategies – review of all myocarditis cases published to date, CDC&other reports @PeterHotez @ishannovation
— BiykemBozkurt (@BiykemB) July 20, 2021
Opinion | Kids aren’t just littler adults – here’s why they need their own clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:55h | UTC
Review: The routes of administration for acute postoperative pain medication.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:46h | UTCThe Routes of Administration for Acute Postoperative Pain Medication – Pain and Therapy
WHO Guidance for clinical case management of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) following vaccination to prevent coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:29h | UTCRelated Guidance: AHA/ASA Guidance: Diagnosis and Management of Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis with Vaccine-Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia – “No heparin products in any dose should be given.” AND ISTH Interim Guidance for the Diagnosis and Treatment on Vaccine Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia
WHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:27h | UTCWHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19 – World Health Organization
Related: Millions of children worldwide missed routine vaccinations during the pandemic, study suggests.
Experts recommend Covid jabs for some under-18s in UK – “advice is that 16 to 18-year-olds can be offered a Pfizer jab if they are in a priority group or live with someone who has a weakened immune system”.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:15h | UTCCommentaries: Experts recommend Covid jabs for some under-18s in UK – BBC
ALA/ATS Response to Philip Morris International’s (PMI) Purchase of British Producer of Respiratory Treatments – “The announcement that PMI wants to acquire an inhaled medicine company is the latest reprehensible choice from a company that has profited from addicting users to its deadly products”.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:12h | UTC
RCT: Once weekly semaglutide 2.0 mg vs. 1.0 mg in patients with type 2 diabetes – Mean change in HbA1c from baseline was −2.2 percentage points with 2.0 mg vs. −1.9 percentage points with 1.0 mg; mean change in bodyweight from baseline was −6.9 kg with 2.0 mg vs. −6.0 kg with 1.0 mg.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:09h | UTCEfficacy and safety of once-weekly semaglutide 2·0 mg versus 1·0 mg in patients with type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN FORTE): a double-blind, randomised, phase 3B trial – The Lancet Endocrinology & Diabetes (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Expert opinion | Bioprosthetic valves and atrial fibrillation: Direct anticoagulants or warfarin – Until conclusive data are available for patients with rheumatic heart disease and those with mechanical valves, DOAC use is not indicated in these patients.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:06h | UTC
RCT: more data showing Azithromycin is not better than placebo in patients with Covid-19.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:54h | UTCRelated: RCT: Another study shows Azithromycin does not improve outcomes in patients with Covid-19. (several articles on the subject)
Commentary on Twitter
Among outpatients with #SARSCoV2 infection, treatment with a single dose of oral #azithromycin compared with placebo did not result in a greater likelihood of being free of symptoms at day 14 https://t.co/dYDcSyGtwd #COVID19
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) July 16, 2021
Position Paper: Recommendations for the use of topical inhalant budesonide in COVID-19.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:53h | UTCRecommendations for use of topical inhalant budesonide in COVID-19 – HNO
Related: RCT: Inhaled budesonide shortens recovery time in non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19 AND Phase 2 RCT: Inhaled budesonide shows promise for the treatment of early COVID-19
CDC warns Covid-19 vaccines might not protect people who are immunocompromised – “CDC is looking into ongoing research exploring the possibility that immunocompromised could benefit from an additional dose”.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:38h | UTCCDC warns Covid-19 vaccines might not protect people who are immunocompromised – CNN
M-A: benefit-to-harm balance of statins in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease generally favorable.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:16h | UTCNews release: New study suggests benefit-to-harm balance of statins for healthy adults ‘generally favorable’ – BMJ
Commentary on Twitter
Statins are associated with a small increased risk of side effects in patients without a history of heart disease, but these effects are mild compared with the potential benefits of treatment in preventing major cardiovascular events, say researchers https://t.co/Yvn7Ojtx2F
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) July 17, 2021
Why was a major study on ivermectin for covid-19 just retracted?
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:11h | UTCWhy Was a Major Study on Ivermectin for COVID-19 Just Retracted? – Grifter Analysis and Review
See also: Huge study supporting ivermectin as Covid treatment withdrawn over ethical concerns – The Guardian AND Some problems in the dataset of a large study of Ivermectin for the treatment of Covid-19 – Nick Brown’s Blog AND Is Ivermectin for Covid-19 Based on Fraudulent Research? – Gideon M-K; Health Nerd
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
So, one of the biggest studies to date on ivermectin for COVID-19 has issues significant enough that, if not fraud, are so serious that it invalidates the study without further explanation
I promised a thread
Here we go 1/n https://t.co/L9QOChmGtA
— Health Nerd (@GidMK) July 16, 2021
Heterologous Oxford–AstraZeneca and Moderna Vaccination induce increased levels of neutralizing antibody compared to 2 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca.
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:02h | UTCHeterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and mRNA-1273 Vaccination – New England Journal of Medicine
Related: [Preprint] Mixing Covid jabs has good immune response, study finds – “The Com-Cov trial looked at the efficacy of either two doses of Pfizer, two of AstraZeneca, or one of them followed by the other. All combinations worked well, priming the immune system”. AND Phase 2 RCT: Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a Pfizer-BioNTech booster in patients that have received a single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine – “BNT162b2 (Pfizer) given as a second dose in individuals prime vaccinated with ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) induced a robust immune response, with an acceptable and manageable reactogenicity profile”. AND RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Commentary on Twitter
Health care workers who had received a dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 were offered either ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or mRNA-1273 9 to 12 weeks later. Levels of S-specific and RBD-specific IgG increased by a factor of 5 after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and by a factor of 115 to 125 after mRNA-1273.
— NEJM (@NEJM) July 14, 2021
Heterologous Oxford–AstraZeneca and BioNTech/Pfizer Vaccination induce increased levels of neutralizing antibody compared to 2 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca.
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:00h | UTCHeterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and mRNA-1273 Vaccination – New England Journal of Medicine
Related: [Preprint] Mixing Covid jabs has good immune response, study finds – “The Com-Cov trial looked at the efficacy of either two doses of Pfizer, two of AstraZeneca, or one of them followed by the other. All combinations worked well, priming the immune system”. AND Phase 2 RCT: Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a Pfizer-BioNTech booster in patients that have received a single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine – “BNT162b2 (Pfizer) given as a second dose in individuals prime vaccinated with ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) induced a robust immune response, with an acceptable and manageable reactogenicity profile”. AND RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1415297187718696964
Review: Sedation in the Intensive Care Unit.
16 Jul, 2021 | 10:31h | UTCSedation in the Intensive Care Unit – Current Anesthesiology Reports
RCT: Bamlanivimab plus Etesevimab reduce mortality and hospitalization in ambulatory patients with early Covid-19 (within 3 days of a positive test) who are at risk for clinical deterioration (i.e., older people, obese, diabetics, immunocompromised, with CV disease).
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:26h | UTCBamlanivimab plus Etesevimab in Mild or Moderate Covid-19 – New England Journal of Medicine