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COVID-19 patients who had received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine reported 8 of the 10 most common long-COVID symptoms 50% to 80% less often than their unvaccinated counterparts, finds an ongoing Israeli study published in the Nature journal npj Vaccines. (Van Beusekom, 9/12)

In contrast to a recent Dutch preprint that cast doubt on the efficacy of Bavarian Nordic's Jynneos (modified vaccinia Ankara [MVA]) vaccine to produce significant neutralizing antibodies to monkeypox, the company has released its own preprint study showing that single and two-dose Jynneos vaccinations administered subcutaneously induced durable neutralizing antibody responses in healthy volunteers. (Soucheray, 9/12)

Throughout his 15-year battle with depression, Anthony, 52, could barely get out of bed. He kept empty liter-size soda bottles nearby for when he couldn’t get to the bathroom. Showering and walking out the front door was a feat. He wouldn’t have thought to amuse himself with a tune. (Kornfield, 9/12)

Researchers have developed a promising, first-of-its-kind messenger RNA therapy for ovarian cancer as well as cachexia, a muscle-wasting condition associated with cancer and other chronic illnesses. (Oregon State University, 9/13)

These days, if you buy a pill off the streets, it’s most likely a counterfeit. Even if a pill says “Xanax” on it — unless acquired directly from a pharmacy — it’s likely something else. (Knopf, 9/6)

In a pilot study involving patients with cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma, a high percentage of patients had a pathological complete response with the use of two doses of neoadjuvant cemiplimab before surgery. (Gross, M.D., et al, 9/12)

The use of medication to treat sleep disturbances has fallen dramatically in the U.S. in recent years after several decades of climbing steeply, according to a study by a team of researchers led by a University of Florida Health scientist. (Mallard, 9/11)

Akero Therapeutics said Tuesday that an experimental medicine improved liver scarring at twice the rate of a placebo without worsening other symptoms — achieving the main goal of a mid-stage clinical trial involving patients with the fatty liver disease known as NASH. (Feuerstein, 9/13)

Humira, the rheumatoid arthritis and anti-inflammatory biologic that has netted AbbVie nearly $200 billion in sales, has benefited from nearly two decades of exclusivity, allowing the manufacturer to hike the price 470% since the drug was introduced. The monopoly will end with the introduction of several Food and Drug Administration-approved copycat versions slated to hit the market in 2023, and more are on the way. (Kacik, 9/13)

A familiar refrain echoes through drug ads in the United States. It’s heard at the end of TV spots and plastered across magazine pages: Ask your doctor if this drug is right for you. But as medicine moves increasingly online, direct-to-consumer advertising is adopting a more assertive catchphrase: Talk to a doctor now. (Palmer, 9/14)