Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hemophilia B Treatment Has Late-Stage Study Success
U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) said on Thursday its experimental gene therapy for the treatment of hemophilia B, a rare inherited blood disorder, met its main goal in a late-stage study. Data from the study showed that a single dose of the therapy was superior to the current standard of care in helping reduce the bleeding rate in patients with moderately severe to severe forms of hemophilia B. (12/29)
In other news on health-related research —
You may know that being adequately hydrated is important for day-to-day bodily functions such as regulating temperature and maintaining skin health. But drinking enough water is also associated with a significantly lower risk of developing chronic diseases, a lower risk of dying early or lower risk of being biologically older than your chronological age, according to a National Institutes of Health study published Monday in the journal eBioMedicine. (Rogers, 1/2)
It was already common knowledge that women are better than men at placing themselves in other people’s shoes, but now science backs up that statement. Empathy—the ability to understand, imagine, or share the emotions others may be feeling—is a critical characteristic to have in pretty much every avenue of life, especially business. (Bove, 12/28)
Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), researchers describe American transgender mpox patients, suggesting that more than 70% of patients contracted the virus from sexual intercourse with cisgender men. "These men might be in sexual networks experiencing the highest mpox incidence," the authors explain. (Soucheray, 12/29)
On research connected to covid —
A study of 15,042 US nursing homes found that before the Omicron variant wave, an increase in staff COVID-19 vaccination with the primary series resulted in fewer cases among residents and staff and fewer deaths in residents. Researchers from the University of Chicago detailed their findings today in JAMA Network Open. (Schnirring, 12/29)
A cluster-randomized clinical trial finds that educational messaging significantly boosted COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake among 496 unvaccinated patients at US emergency departments (EDs) over 8 months. (Van Beusekom, 12/28)
Two studies published late last week discuss COVID-19 infection in cancer patients, with one tying an undetectable SARS-CoV-2 antibody response after vaccination to greater risk of breakthrough infection and hospitalization, and the other finding that vaccination can activate T cells for a more durable immune response in patients with two types of blood cancer. (Van Beusekom, 12/27)
A study today in Clinical Infectious Diseases finds that a third COVID-19 vaccine dose triggered a robust immune response, regardless of whether recipients had been infected more than 3 months earlier, but it didn't significantly increase antibody levels in those infected less than 3 months before. (Van Beusekom, 12/29)
