Healthcare & Laboratory News

American Journal of Managed Care (6/30, Bonavitacola) reports a study published in The Lancet HIV found that “higher levels of use for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) were associated with lower rates of diagnoses of HIV in the US.” According to the study, “the mean diagnosis rates of HIV declined from 13.0 to 10.6 per 100,000 between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2022. Mean PrEP coverage increased from 0.6% to 26.3% in the same time period.” Researchers noted that “the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) varied in HIV diagnosis rates across the country, spanning from a 6.8% decrease in Maryland to a 9.1% increase in West Virginia. The mean PrEP coverage was 10.9% in states with a decrease in EAPC of diagnosis rates of HIV and the mean PrEP coverage was 5.1% in states with significant increases in EAPC.”

Infectious Disease Advisor (6/30, Basilio) reports a study found that “mortality attributable to late-onset invasive Staphylococcus aureus infection disproportionately affects infants with very low birth weight (VLBW).” Researchers observed that “the incidence of late-onset invasive S aureus (per 10,000 hospitalized infants) was 37.6. The researchers noted infection incidence was lower for infants without VLBW than in those with VLBW and those with birth weights below 750 g. Owing to these data, the researchers noted VLBW was inversely correlated with disease incidence and highlighted similar findings for gestational age.” In addition, a matched analysis found that “infants with late-onset invasive S aureus infection showed higher rates of all-cause mortality than those without infection. Infants with VLBW exhibited more than double the overall rate of all-cause mortality than those without VLBW and accounted for nearly all (90.4%) mortality events within the culture-positive cohort.” The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Politico (6/30) reports 23andMe’s “recent sale to a research institute ‘does not comply’ with California’s landmark genetic privacy law, state Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said Monday.” The sale to TTAM Research Institute violates the state’s Genetic Information Privacy Act, “which requires companies to obtain opt-in consent from customers before selling their genetic information to third parties.” Bonta’s objections come after a federal bankruptcy judge on Friday authorized the sale.

CNN (6/30, Goodman) reports some states and private partnerships are “scrambling to ensure that vaccines will still be available to those who want them” in response to recent actions taken by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Several groups are working to establish “panels of subject matter experts who would review the latest science behind vaccines and make evidence-based recommendations for their use.” The Vaccine Integrity Project, which aims to “counter disinformation around vaccines and provide updated guidelines on their use,” is being coordinated by the Center for Infectious Disease Research. Meanwhile, “nine states have banded together to create the Northeast Public Health Collaboration, which is staffed by state and city health officials.” One of those states, Maine, “recently struck language in its vaccine access law referencing ACIP and created a pathway to purchase vaccines outside of the federal Vaccines for Children Program.” Colorado also “recently passed legislation to protect coverage for a range of preventive services, including vaccines.”

MedPage Today (6/30, Rudd) reports a survey of over 2,000 US adults found that “70% said they would conduct a home test if they suspected they had COVID, with certain variables associated with being more likely to test.” Investigators said in a research letter published in JAMA Network Open that among the 30% of respondents “who said they would not or might not take a test, 53.6% said they didn’t see a reason to test, 30.1% said it would not be helpful to know if they were positive for COVID, and 20.7% said they would not trust test results.” Furthermore, “among white respondents, 34.6% said they likely wouldn’t self-test, compared with 23.5% of Black respondents, 22.6% of Hispanic respondents, and 22.5% of those who were non-Hispanic other or at least two races.” In addition, respondents “with annual incomes less than $25,000 answered ‘no’ 25.5% of the time, compared with 32% of those with incomes of $100,000 or more.”

Reuters Legal (6/30, Santhosh) reports AbbVie announced Monday it will “acquire privately held cell therapy developer Capstan Therapeutics in a deal worth up to $2.1 billion, expanding its product pipeline with experimental treatments for autoimmune diseases. The U.S. drugmaker has spent over $20 billion on acquisitions since 2023 as its flagship rheumatoid arthritis drug, Humira [adalimumab], lost patent protection.” Reuters adds that Capstan “develops CAR-T therapies, which use a patient’s own immune cells, specifically T-cells, to fight diseases. Its main drug, CPTX2309, is currently in early-stage development for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.”

Gastroenterology Advisor (6/27, Nye) reported a study found that “pancreatic cancer (PC) risk is significantly higher among individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) or gene variants in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR).” The researchers sourced data “from Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC), a large integrated health care system.” They found that the “incidence rate (IR) of PC was higher among the CF cohort than the general KPSC population among adults aged 50 years and older, whereas the IR was similar for younger individuals, respectively.” Furthermore, among the CF group, “the highest incidence of PC was observed among men aged 50 years and older with a CFTR variant, followed by women aged 50 years and older diagnosed with CF, women aged 50 years and older with a CFTR variant, men aged 50 years and older diagnosed with CF, and women aged less than 50 years who tested positive for CF.” The study was published in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology.

Reuters (6/27, Santhosh, Le Poidevin) reported a World Health Organization official confirmed Friday that thimerosal, “a mercury-preservative used in some vaccines, was not harmful,” after the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel “voted to recommend Americans receive seasonal influenza shots that are free from it.” Dr. Katherine O’Brien told reporters, “Thimerosal has been reviewed multiple times by multiple agencies, including WHO, and it’s clear from the evidence that there is no evidence of harm from the use of thimerosal.”

The AP (6/27, Cheng) reported that an expert group charged by the WHO “to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic started released its final report Friday, reaching an unsatisfying conclusion: Scientists still aren’t sure how the worst health emergency in a century began.” Marietjie Venter, the group’s chair, said Friday “that most scientific data supports the hypothesis that the new coronavirus jumped to humans from animals,” echoing “the conclusion drawn by the first WHO expert group that investigated the pandemic’s origins in 2021.” Venter stated after more than three years of work, “WHO’s expert group was unable to get the necessary data to evaluate whether or not COVID-19 was the result of a lab accident, despite repeated requests for hundreds of genetic sequences and more detailed biosecurity information that were made to the Chinese government.” She also “said that the 27-member group did not reach a consensus,” and that three members “asked for their names to be removed from the report.”

Infectious Disease Advisor (6/27, Nye) reported a study found that “protection conferred by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prefusion F (preF) immunoglobulin (Ig)G antibodies wanes 6 months after infection or disease exposure.” Researchers added that “as RSV prefusion immunoglobulin G-derived protection begins to wane 6 months after infection, preventive measures should be timed appropriately in high-risk patients to ensure reduced disease risk throughout an RSV season.” The study was published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.