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Parents’ Mistrust of HPV Vaccine May Be Growing
U.S. News & World Report reported:
It was a no-brainer for New York City mom Jen L. when a pediatrician suggested that she vaccinate her two sons against human papillomavirus (HPV).
But not all parents feel this way about the cancer-preventing HPV shots, a new study suggests. Parents of nearly 120,000 unvaccinated teens aged 13 to 17 were asked why they didn’t plan to vaccinate their children against HPV, which is a sexually transmitted infection.
The number of parents citing “safety or side effects” as a reason for vaccine hesitancy increased by nearly 16% annually from 2010 to 2018, the study findings showed. The main reasons parents were on the fence about the HPV shots in the new study? “They are not necessary,” “safety concerns,” “lack of recommendation,” “lack of knowledge” and “not sexually active.”
“Another big one is mistrust in the medical system based on history, especially among minorities,” noted study co-author Eric Adjei Boakye. He is an assistant scientist in the health sciences department at Henry Ford Health in Detroit. “The most contributing factor these days is misinformation about the safety of vaccines, especially on social media, which has gotten worse since the COVID-19 pandemic.” The study was published online May 23 in Pediatrics.
Judge Tosses Out Some Claims in Abbott Baby Formula Litigation
Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) persuaded a federal judge to dismiss some claims in nationwide litigation over recalled baby formula.
In a decision on Monday, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly in Chicago dismissed claims by parents pursuing only “economic loss” claims related to Similac and other formulas that they said had a “substantial risk” of bacteria contamination.
The parents said they would not have bought or would have paid less for formula but for the Abbott Park, Illinois-based company’s claims that it was safe.
The judge also issued decisions that narrowed but did not dismiss two related lawsuits against Abbott. In one, 28 plaintiffs brought personal injury claims alleging that Abbott’s formula caused salmonella contamination, bacterial meningitis and other health problems.
The other lawsuit by eight plaintiffs alleged that Similac products contained heavy metals and were manufactured in unsanitary decisions.
New Nasal Spray to Reverse Fentanyl and Other Opioid Overdoses Gets FDA Approval
U.S. health regulators on Monday approved a new easy-to-use version of a medication to reverse overdoses caused by fentanyl and other opioids driving the nation’s drug crisis. Opvee is similar to naloxone, the life-saving drug that has been used for decades to quickly counter overdoses of heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers.
Both work by blocking the effects of opioids in the brain, which can restore normal breathing and blood pressure in people who have recently overdosed. It’s not immediately clear how the new drug will be used differently compared to naloxone, and some experts see potential downsides to its longer-acting effect. The drug will be available via prescription and is approved for patients 12 and older.
A side effect of all opioid reversal drugs is that they create intense withdrawal symptoms including nausea, diarrhea, muscle cramps and anxiety. With naloxone, those symptoms might last 30 to 40 minutes.
Dr. Lewis Nelson of Rutgers University says those problems can last six hours or more with nalmefene, requiring extra treatment and management by health professionals.
Here’s What Pfizer and Moderna Say Is Next for Their COVID Vaccines
Three years and billions of COVID vaccinations into the pandemic, Pfizer and Moderna say their work is far from over.
The two pharmaceutical companies, whose COVID vaccines have become household names, are ushering in a new era for their shots that will elevate the role they play in protecting public health, but also simplify what people need to do to coexist with the virus.
That involves developing new versions of the vaccines that aim to provide broader and longer-lasting immunity against the virus, and combination jabs that protect against COVID and other respiratory diseases in a single dose, among other efforts.
Regulators are transitioning toward a flu shot-like model for COVID vaccines, meaning people will get a single shot every year that is updated annually to target the latest variant expected to circulate in the fall and winter. A panel of independent advisors to the FDA will meet in June to select which COVID strain new vaccines should target when they roll out later this year.
Pfizer Oral Weight Loss Drug May Be as Effective as Ozempic Injection by Novo Nordisk, Study Says
An oral drug made by Pfizer causes a similar amount of weight loss as rival Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster injection Ozempic, according to a peer-reviewed study of phase 2 clinical trial results released Monday.
Pfizer’s trial followed 411 adults with Type 2 diabetes who either took the company’s pill, danuglipron, twice a day or a placebo. Pfizer’s drug could offer an advantage as an oral treatment option rather than a frequent injection.
The study results also suggest danuglipron may be as effective for weight loss as Ozempic, though there are stark differences in dosage levels.
New York-based Pfizer is the latest pharmaceutical company to dip into the blockbuster weight loss drug market. Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy catapulted to the national spotlight in recent years for being weight loss “miracles.”
Pfizer, Moderna Among Many Biopharma Giants to Post Q1 Sales Declines, as Novo Nordisk Led Growth Charge
Biopharma companies know well the pain of a patent cliff. But how about a COVID cliff? With demand for vaccines and other COVID-19 products plummeting, drugmakers who thrived during the pandemic have seen their sales decline significantly lately.
The effects of the COVID cliff were apparent over the last few weeks as companies reported their first-quarter results. Of 20 leading biopharma companies, just six saw their revenues increase in the first quarter of 2023 compared with the same period last year.
Among the six leading biopharma companies with a revenue increase in the first quarter, Novo Nordisk, at 27%, was the only one with a double-digit increase. The performance was fueled by sales of its diabetes drug Ozempic, which increased by 63% to 19.6 billion Dutch kroner ($2.9 billion), and obesity treatments Wegovy and Saxenda.
Brazil Declares 180-Day Animal Health Emergency Amid Avian Flu Cases in Wild Birds
Brazil on Monday declared a state of animal health emergency for 180 days in response to the country’s first-ever detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in wild birds, in a document signed by Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro.
Infection by the H5N1 subtype of avian flu in wild birds does not trigger trade bans, based on guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health. However, a case of bird flu on a farm usually results in the entire flock being killed and can trigger trade restrictions from importing countries.
Brazil, the world’s biggest chicken meat exporter with $9.7 billion in sales last year, has so far confirmed eight cases of H5N1 in wild birds, including seven in Espirito Santo state and one in Rio de Janeiro state.
Biotech Launches With $300 Million, Joint Venture to Expedite RNA Drug Development
Biotech venture capital may be pacing at a six-year low, but one startup just managed to raise a $300 million Series A mega-round.
The round was raised by ReNAgade Therapeutics, a new biotech developing what it hopes will be a one-stop shop for medicines targeting RNA, the genetic blueprints that cells use to make proteins instrumental in numerous diseases. MPM Capital’s BioImpact Capital and F2 Ventures co-led the Series A round, which is the biggest so far this year in the industry.
RNA medicine companies are one area where biotech financing is flourishing: Just last month, another RNA medicines company, Orbital Therapeutics, announced it had raised $270 million for a Series A.
