Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Combination Antibiotic On The Horizon; Early Drug Therapy May Halt HIV Progression In Babies
French biopharmaceutical company Antabio announced today that it has raised $25 million in financing to continue development of a next-generation antibacterial combination for severe drug-resistant infections. (Dall, 12/12)
An unexpectedly high percentage of children, who were born with HIV and started treatment within 48 hours of life, exhibit biomarkers by 2 years of age that may make them eligible to test for medication-free remission, according to a multinational study. (Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, 12/7)
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had agreed to buy respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine developer Icosavax in a deal valued at up to $1.1 billion. Icosavax is developing a combination vaccine candidate targeting RSV and human metapneumovirus (hMPV). RSV is a leading cause of pneumonia in toddlers and the elderly, while hMPV causes very similar respiratory tract infections. (Shabong, 12/12)
A landmark study has shown that severe asthma can be controlled using biologic therapies, without the addition of regular high-dose inhaled steroids which can have significant side effects. (King's College London, 12/8)
Personalized treatment for the most common form of adult leukemia helps patients survive for longer and stay in remission, a phase III trial has found. Adult patients were given a combination of cancer growth blocking drugs over varied durations depending on how rapidly their disease responded.聽聽 More than 19 in 20 patients were in remission three years after starting treatment -- a significant improvement in progression-free and overall survival compared to standard treatment. (University of Leeds, 12/10)
The current class of anti-obesity drugs is proving remarkably effective at removing excess pounds. However, a phase 3 randomized clinical trial found that people who stopped taking the medication regained much of that weight within a year. At the same time, the study shows that remaining on the drug not only promotes additional weight loss but preserves improvements in metabolic and cardiovascular health. (Weill Cornell Medicine, 12/11)
