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COVID-19 cases are currently surging in the United States, with at least 25 states seeing significant upticks in infections. Levels of the virus in wastewater are either “very high” or “high” in 46 states currently, according to CDC data. If the numbers continue, the country may be facing one of the biggest COVID infection waves since 2020. Although hospitalizations and deaths aren’t currently at the same levels as during previous surges in 2020 and 2021, those numbers are also increasing. (Though death rates have declined thanks to vaccines and better treatments, COVID remained one of the top ten causes of death in the United States last year).
But as two new studies published in the past week show, severe COVID isn’t the only risk faced by those with the disease. New findings in JAMA Psychiatry find that levels of mental illness such as depression, anxiety and self-harm are elevated after a COVID-19 diagnosis. Additionally, a new study published in Scientific Reports found that patients who lost their sense of smell after a COVID infection saw long-term structural changes to their brains as well as a tendency to more impulsive behaviors.
If you want to mitigate your risk of these mental side effects from COVID infections, one key strategy is to make sure you are up to date on your vaccinations. The study in JAMA Psychiatry found that patients who were vaccinated prior to their COVID infection had fewer mental health issues. Other studies suggest that vaccination may help reduce the risk of losing your sense of smell, though it’s not yet clear how much that risk is mitigated. The CDC and FDA recently approved and recommended updated vaccines to protect from the most recent COVID variants, which should be available in the coming weeks.
Biden Administration Strikes Deal To Cut Cost Of Expensive Medicare Drugs
After months of negotiations with drug companies, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it had reached an agreement for lower prices on 10 different drugs covered by Medicare part D, which will go into effect in 2026. The Administration says the deal will save taxpayers around $6 billion annually and Medicare patients about $1.5 billion a year.
The drugs include diabetes medications Januvia, Jardiance and Farxiga (the latter two are also used for treating heart failure), along with Fiasp insulin injections, heart failure drug Entresto and blood cancer drug Imbruvica. Also on the list are Stelara and Enbrel—which are used to treat autoimmune disorders like arthritis and Crohn’s disease—along with blood thinners Eliquis and Xarelto.
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Pipeline & Deal Updates
Blood Loss: The FDA granted 510(k) clearance to Cresilon’s Traumagel, an algae-derived gel that is applied to traumatic wounds, such as a gunshot or stab, to curtail severe blood loss. (The company’s CEO, Joe Landolina, is an alumni of the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare List.) Relatedly, the FDA also granted an emergency use authorization to Octapharma’s octaplasLG powder, for U.S. military personnel during operations. The powder is used as a lifesaving measure for treatment of hemorrhage or coagulopathy when there’s no plasma available for transfusion.
Diagnostics: PreciseDx, which is developing AI-powered diagnostics for cancer, announced it has raised a $20.7 million series B round led by Eventide Asset Management.
Lung Cancer: The FDA has approved Johnson & Johnson’s non-chemotherapy treatment combination of Rybrevant and Lazcluze as a first-line treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
Kidney Disease: North Carolina-based Pathalys Pharma, which is developing treatments for kidney disease, closed a $105 million series B round led by TCGX.
Burn Treatment: The FDA has approved Vericel Corporation’s NexoBrid treatment for the removal of dead tissue in pediatric burn victims.
Clinical Trials: Walgreens has signed a partnership with the U.S. government valued at $100 million to conduct clinical trials to aid in future emergency preparedness.
After Surviving Anorexia, This Founder Raised $110 Million To Treat The Deadly Disease Online
Kristina Saffran was first diagnosed with anorexia at 10 years old, then spent the next few years cycling through different hospital programs only to return home and fall back into the same destructive behaviors.Instead of giving up, Saffran’s parents eventually discovered a treatment called family-based therapy that would allow Saffran to remain at home, but it meant her parents needed to be heavily involved in her treatment, coaching her through each meal, doing regular weigh-ins and meeting weekly with a therapist. “[It] was the hardest year of my life,” said Saffran, now 32, “but certainly the thing that got me better.”
A decade after recovering from anorexia, Saffran started a company to help make this same type of therapy more accessible by offering a single online portal through which families can treat and manage a child’s eating disorder. Equip also offers wraparound services that aren’t always offered alongside in-person therapy, with the full care team including a therapist, medical doctor, dietician and peer and parent mentors.
Read more here.
Other Healthcare News
Mpox, Explained: Key Details On Latest Virus Outbreak
Eating Red And Processed Meat—And Even Chicken—Could Increase Risk Of Diabetes, Research Finds
Sloth Fever: What To Know About Potentially Dangerous Oropouche Virus After First Deaths
Mounjaro/Zepbound Drastically Cuts Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes, Eli Lilly Report Suggests
Uterus Transplants Could Be An Effective—But Pricey—Solution To Uterine Factor Infertility
Here’s Where Abortion Is On The Ballot In November—As Montana Measure Qualifies
Across Forbes
What Else We are Reading
How U.S. Farms Could Start a Bird Flu Pandemic (The New York Times)
How might climate change harm human health? U.S. studies face funding challenges (Science)
The testing of AI in medicine is a mess. Here’s how it should be done (Nature)
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