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Recent Virus Research Should Raise Alarm
There’s a central question that many scientists face: How can scientific discoveries drive humanity’s progress without posing a dire risk to it? As virus experts, we’re committed to research that uncovers pandemic threats and helps protect people from them. But we are concerned about how some scientists are experimenting with viruses in ways that could put all of us in harm’s way.
In a study published in the scientific journal Cell, a group of researchers reported the discovery of a coronavirus in bats that has the potential to spread to humans.
In a series of experiments, the scientists show that this virus, HKU5-CoV-2, can efficiently infect cells of humans and a wide range of other animal cells. The findings raise the possibility that humans and other animals could be infected by this virus. This coronavirus belongs to a subgroup of viruses that are classified alongside the one that causes MERS and that can have fatality rates far higher than that of the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
Can You Still Get Measles Even if You’ve Been Vaccinated?
Nearly 150 people have been infected with measles in Texas and New Mexico, and last week, Texas health officials confirmed the first death in the ongoing outbreak: an unvaccinated child. While almost all of the infected are believed to be unvaccinated, five of them told the Texas health department they have received at least one measles shot.
The U.S. declared measles eradicated in 2000 because the disease was no longer spreading locally (most cases in the following years were linked to travel to countries where the virus was still prevalent) But in recent years, outbreaks of the measles have been growing as more people across the country opt not to vaccinate.
The recent reports of cases even among vaccinated people have added another layer of anxiety to the crisis. More than 90% of Americans got their measles shot as a kid. Exactly how reliable is that protection, given this news?
FDA OKs Dust Mite Allergy Drug for Young Kids
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the approval of a sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT; Odactra) for treating house dust mite allergies in young children, drugmaker ALK announced.
Taken as a once-daily tablet, the SLIT product is now indicated for treating dust mite-related allergic rhinitis, with or without conjunctivitis, in children ages five to 11 years. The drug, which contains a dust mite allergen extract, was initially approved in 2017 for adults up to age 65 and later in adolescents ages 12 to 17.
Of note, patients must be monitored for 30 minutes following the initial dose due to the risk of anaphylaxis, and the product is contraindicated in people with severe or uncontrolled asthma, as noted in a boxed warning.
J&J Spars With Foes of $9 Billion Talc Cancer Plan as Trial Ends
Johnson & Johnson told a judge its $9 billion proposal to settle baby powder cancer claims in bankruptcy court is the only viable way to end more than 15 years of litigation, while opponents assailed the company’s efforts to line up support for its plan as deeply flawed.
“Time is off the essence,” J&J’s lawyer, Alli Brown, said Friday in her closing argument to win approval of the plan that would resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that asbestos-tainted talc in its iconic product has sickened users.
Women suffering from ovarian and other cancers are dying daily, Brown said. Conventional personal-injury mass litigation “has shown us it’s not a way to get a timely resolution.”
FDA Drops Testosterone’s Boxed Warning on Heart Attack, Stroke Risk
A boxed warning for testosterone on major adverse cardiovascular events is out and a new blood pressure warning is in, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced late last week as part of a class-wide labeling update for all testosterone products.
Prompted by a review of the Testosterone Replacement Therapy for Assessment of Long-term Vascular Events and Efficacy Response in Hypogonadal Men (TRAVERSE) clinical trial, the agency recommended removing language from the long-standing boxed warning on all testosterone products related to an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death.
TRAVERSE findings should also be added to all labels, the agency added, and “limitation of use” language for age-related hypogonadism should be retained.
AbbVie Gets Into Obesity With $350M Deal for Once-Weekly Shot
AbbVie is joining the industry’s rush to develop new obesity medicines, announcing Monday a deal with Denmark-based Gubra to license a drug that could compete with experimental therapies being developed by Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Zealand Pharma.
Per deal terms, AbbVie will pay Gubra $350 million up front and offer up to $1.9 billion in additional payments tied to the achievement of development and sales milestones. AbbVie will assume responsibility for development and commercialization.
Gubra is developing a type of drug called an amylin analog that regulates appetite and blood sugar levels. If successful, these drugs could be used as alternatives to or in combination with marketed drugs like Novo’s Wegovy and Lilly’s Zepbound to increase weight loss or reduce side effects.
