Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Industry
RCT: Ravidasvir plus sofosbuvir are effective and well tolerated in patients with chronic HCV infection, with potential as an affordable treatment for these patients
18 Apr, 2021 | 21:19h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Trial results of new affordable #hepatitisC treatment showing 97% cure rate now published in @LancetGastroHep!
Ravidasvir + sofosbuvir has the potential to provide an additional affordable, simple, and efficacious #publichealth tool to eliminate HCV.
➡️https://t.co/Oo1ZHQnyn6 pic.twitter.com/FcFntfYMSC
— Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (@DNDi) April 16, 2021
China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine 67% effective in preventing symptomatic infection, 85% effective in preventing hospitalizations and 80% effective in preventing deaths – Chile govt report
18 Apr, 2021 | 21:45h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Sinovac's CoronaVac in Chile: for Feb-Mar, during major outbreak. Data from National Health Fund, comparisons adjusted for age, gender, region, income, nationality. Fully vaccinated after 14 days was effective; 1 dose wasn't …1/nhttps://t.co/lNqGqTy7mv (TY for all the alerts!) pic.twitter.com/q1Fk2D3aek
— Hilda Bastian, PhD (@hildabast) April 16, 2021
Pathologic Antibodies to Platelet Factor 4 after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccination
18 Apr, 2021 | 21:43h | UTCCommentaries: Researchers Offer Algorithm for Managing Thrombosis and Thrombocytopenia After COVID-19 Vaccination – NEJM Journal Watch AND Blood Clots After COVID-19 Vaccination Linked to Immune Response: UK Report – TCTMD AND People with rare blood clots after a COVID-19 jab share an uncommon immune response – ScienceNews
Editorial: SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine–Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia – “The very low prevalence of this complication of vaccination, however severe, relative to the benefits of preventing Covid-19 must be emphasized”
18 Apr, 2021 | 21:42h | UTCSARS-CoV-2 Vaccine–Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia – New England Journal of Medicine
COVID vaccines and blood clots: five key questions
18 Apr, 2021 | 21:40h | UTCCOVID vaccines and blood clots: five key questions – Nature
See also (podcast): Coronapod: could COVID vaccines cause blood clots? Here’s what the science says – Nature
Phase 2 RCT: Psilocybin, a psychedelic compound, shows promise for the treatment of depression in a study with 59 patients
16 Apr, 2021 | 06:17h | UTCTrial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Magic mushroom compound performs as well as antidepressant in small study – Imperial College London AND First-of-its-kind study pits psilocybin against a common antidepressan – STAT AND Psilocybin Not Significantly Different from Escitalopram for Depression – NEJM Journal Watch AND Expert reaction to phase 2 trial comparing psilocybin and escitalopram for depression – Science Media Centre
WHO: Global shortage of innovative antibiotics fuels emergence and spread of drug-resistance
16 Apr, 2021 | 06:20h | UTCNews release: Global shortage of innovative antibiotics fuels emergence and spread of drug-resistance – World Health Organization
Commentary: WHO report highlights shortage of new antibiotics – CIDRAP
Study shows antihistamines may impair response to exercise training
16 Apr, 2021 | 06:06h | UTCCommentary: Histamine-suppressing drugs found to reduce benefits of exercise – MedicalXpress
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Extremely excited to finally share our newest paper: Histamine H1 and H2 receptors are essential transducers of the integrative exercise training response in humans. Published today in @ScienceAdvances. A thread: (1/12)https://t.co/R4FNiKWyG9 pic.twitter.com/U2HFHOY9eA
— Thibaux Van der Stede (@ThibauxV) April 14, 2021
M-A: Long-acting injectable vs. oral antipsychotics for the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia
15 Apr, 2021 | 06:31h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
"Taken together, the results suggest increased use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics in clinical practice should be considered."
New Researchhttps://t.co/l2Ow9BzCUu
— The Lancet Psychiatry (@TheLancetPsych) April 14, 2021
[Preprint] Risk of rare blood clotting much higher for COVID-19 than for vaccines
16 Apr, 2021 | 06:37h | UTCNews release: Risk of rare blood clotting higher for COVID-19 than for vaccines – University of Oxford
Original study (preprint): Cerebral venous thrombosis: a retrospective cohort study of 513,284 confirmed COVID-19 cases and a comparison with 489,871 people receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine
Commentaries: Brain clots ‘more likely’ with Covid infection than vaccine – BBC AND Risk for Cerebral Venous Thrombosis Elevated After COVID-19 Diagnosis – NEJM Journal Watch AND Study: COVID much more likely than vaccines to cause blood clots – CIDRAP
Commentary on Twitter
There is an interesting new preprint out that will probably generate a lot of coverage at least in the UK. Essentially it argues that the risk of CVST is much higher from #covid19 than from vaccines.
Quick thread on this:https://t.co/0MdDU2z9bp— Kai Kupferschmidt (@kakape) April 15, 2021
M-A: Treatment with hydroxychloroquine is associated with increased mortality in COVID-19 patients
16 Apr, 2021 | 06:30h | UTC
Commentaries on Twitter
The use of hydroxychloroquine in COVID19 will be remembered as one of the worst examples of medicine going against its core principle:
First Do No Harm. https://t.co/PGq4D5pJ1H— Maurizio Cecconi (@DrMCecconi) April 15, 2021
What collaboration can achieve
Just out in @NatureComms our meta-analysis of 14 unpublished & 14 published RCTs on Hydroxychloroquine/ Choloroquine
Thanks so much to the great team – and special thanks for rapidly sharing the data of unpublished trials!https://t.co/Dg1DmAx1Kq
— Lars G. Hemkens (@LGHemkens) April 15, 2021
Perspective | Ivermectin is the new Hydroxychorloquine
16 Apr, 2021 | 06:28h | UTCIvermectin is the new Hydroxychorloquine – Science-Based Medicine
Review: Endocrine complications of immunotherapies
15 Apr, 2021 | 06:13h | UTCEndocrine complications of immunotherapies: a review – Clinical Medicine Journal
USPSTF Statement: Insufficient evidence to recommend Vitamin D deficiency screening
14 Apr, 2021 | 01:47h | UTCVitamin D Deficiency in Adults: Screening – U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Evidence Report: Screening for Vitamin D Deficiency in Adults: Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force
Editorial: The USPSTF 2021 Recommendations on Screening for Asymptomatic Vitamin D Deficiency in Adults: The Challenge for Clinicians Continues – JAMA AND Why USPSTF Still Finds Insufficient Evidence to Support Screening for Vitamin D Deficiency – JAMA Network Open
JAMA Patient Page: Screening for Vitamin D Deficiency in Adults
M-A: Effectiveness of treatments for acute and subacute mechanical non-specific low back pain
14 Apr, 2021 | 01:39h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Just published in BJSM ???
Effectiveness of treatments for acute and subacute mechanical non-specific low back pain: a systematic review with network meta-analysis
?????https://t.co/bx06RPLTbT pic.twitter.com/RzHkwN2nTp
— Physio Meets Science (@PhysioMeScience) April 13, 2021
Case Report: Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia after Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
15 Apr, 2021 | 07:02h | UTCThrombotic Thrombocytopenia after Ad26.COV2.S Vaccination – New England Journal of Medicine
Related: U.S. regulators pause Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout over rare (1 in a million) cases of blood clots AND 4 Things to Know About the J&J Covid Vaccine Pause – Kaiser Health News AND Why Johnson & Johnson shots were paused — and why that’s so confusing – Vox AND Is it the adenovirus vaccine technology, used by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, causing blood clots? There’s no evidence yet – The Conversation
Observational study: Impact of the influenza vaccine on COVID-19 infection rates and severity
15 Apr, 2021 | 06:47h | UTCCommentary: Flu shot associated with fewer, less severe COVID cases – University of Michigan
Viewpoint | Industry-Sponsored Speaker Programs—End of the Line?
14 Apr, 2021 | 01:36h | UTCIndustry-Sponsored Speaker Programs—End of the Line? – JAMA
Cohort study: Higher cumulative exposure to Thiazide diuretics linked to an increased risk of skin cancer in people older than 65 years
13 Apr, 2021 | 05:08h | UTCCommentaries: Thiazides May Up Risk for Skin Cancer in Older Adults – HealthDay AND Some blood pressure medication linked to higher risk of skin cancer, study finds – CTV News
Related study: Case-Control Study: Possible Association of Hydrochlorothiazide Use and Risk of Melanoma
IDSA Guidance on the Treatment of ESBL Enterobacterales, Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales, and Pseudomonas
13 Apr, 2021 | 05:11h | UTC
U.S. regulators pause Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout over rare (1 in a million) cases of blood clots
14 Apr, 2021 | 02:16h | UTCJoint CDC and FDA Statement on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine – U.S. Food & Drug Administration
Commentaries: Covid-19: US suspends Johnson and Johnson vaccine rollout over blood clots – BMJ AND CDC and FDA recommend US pause use of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine over blood clot concerns – CNN AND US halts J&J COVID vaccine after reports of blood clots – CIDRAP AND U.S. urges pause on use of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine after rare blood clotting cases – CIDRAP
Review: Vaccine development for emerging infectious diseases
14 Apr, 2021 | 02:01h | UTCVaccine development for emerging infectious diseases – Nature
RCT: Inhaled budesonide shortens recovery time in non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19
13 Apr, 2021 | 05:30h | UTCOriginal study (preprint): Inhaled budesonide for COVID-19 in people at higher risk of adverse outcomes in the community: interim analyses from the PRINCIPLE trial – medRxiv
Commentary: Covid: Asthma drug ‘speeds up recovery at home’ – BBC
Related study: Phase 2 RCT: Inhaled budesonide shows promise for the treatment of early COVID-19 (study and commentaries)
RCT: Comparison of Levetiracetam vs. Zonisamide vs. Lamotrigine for newly diagnosed focal epilepsy shows Lamotrigine should remain the first-line treatment option
12 Apr, 2021 | 00:51h | UTCCommentary: Clinical trials assess best first-line drugs for epilepsy – University of Liverpool
Cohort Study: Effects of fluoroquinolones on outcomes of patients with aortic dissection or aneurysm
13 Apr, 2021 | 05:05h | UTCRelated: Another study suggests fluoroquinolone use may increase the risk of development of aortic aneurysms (study and commentaries) AND Link between fluoroquinolones, aorta problems may not be as strong as thought AND Study: Oral Fluoroquinolones and Risk of Mitral and Aortic Regurgitation AND FDA Warns About Increased Risk of Aortic Dissection and Ruptures of Aortic Aneurism with Fluoroquinolones AND Meta-analysis: Fluoroquinolones and the Risk of Aortopathy AND Study: Oral Fluoroquinolone and the Risk of Aortic Dissection AND Research: Fluoroquinolone use and risk of aortic aneurysm and dissection