Today is Friday and the 13th ballot for Speaker of the House has not elected anyone to the position. Maybe 14 is a lucky number.
In health news, the FDA has approved a new drug for early-stage Alzheimer’s, but it may not see widespread adoption unless Medicare changes its coverage rules.
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Green light given to new Alzheimer’s drug
An experimental Alzheimer’s drug that moderately slows cognitive decline was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday.
The drug, called lecanemab, was conditionally approved based on a study that found it reduced levels of a protein called amyloid from the brains of people with early Alzheimer’s disease.
- The FDA’s decision comes after the agency faced significant criticism and congressional investigations over the approval of Aduhelm, a similar type of Alzheimer’s drug.
- There were serious concerns about Aduhelm’s efficacy, and lecanemab was more welcomed by experts, but Aduhelm’s controversy may reverberate.
Lecanemab was approved through the FDA’s expedited pathway. FDA approves drugs based on early trial results for serious conditions with unmet medical need and when the drug has been shown to provide a reasonable clinical benefit to patients. can be used to
“This treatment option is the latest treatment to not only treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, but to target and influence the underlying disease processes of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Billy, director of the FDA’s Office of Neuroscience. Dunn said in a statement.
The drug will be marketed under the brand name Leqembi and will be marketed by Eisai in Japan and Biogen, its US partner who also manufactured Aduhelm.
cost: Leqembi is given as an infusion twice a month. In a statement, Eisai said the drug would cost an average of $26,500 per patient per year.
- Since Alzheimer’s disease primarily affects older people who are covered by Medicare, taxpayers will primarily bear the cost of new drugs if they are covered.About 6 million people in the United States suffer from this disease
- Last spring, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said it would only cover accelerated anti-amyloid drugs if patients were enrolled in clinical trials. There are no ongoing trials for Leqembi.
Please check this out for details.
Idaho Court Upholds Law Restricting Abortion
The Idaho Supreme Court on Thursday upheld several state laws restricting access to abortions, ruling that the state constitution does not implicitly recognize procedural rights.
In a 3-2 decision, the court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood over three abortion laws in Idaho. It will be passed in 2022 and will allow potential family members of the unborn child to claim damages.
In Thursday’s ruling, the Idaho Supreme Court overturned last June’s Roe v. Wade ruling, finding that abortion rights are not “deeply rooted” in the state’s traditions and history. I repeated the reason of the court.
- Justice Robin Brody said in the majority opinion: “Applying that test to this controversy, what supports the conclusion that abortion rights were ‘deeply entrenched’ at the time the inalienable rights clause was adopted?” neither.
- However, Brody noted that the state Supreme Court’s ruling does not prevent Idaho voters from “answering moral and political questions about abortion in polls.”
Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Six State Family Planning Group, which serves Kentucky, called the ruling “a dark day for Idaho.”
Please check this out for details.
democratic senator.Bob Casey reveals cancer diagnosis
Third-term Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who is seeking re-election in 2024, announced Thursday that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Casey, who was in Washington on Tuesday to welcome newly elected Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., to the Capitol, said he expects to have surgery soon.
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Study: 1 in 4 adults with chronic pain turn to cannabis
More than a quarter of U.S. adults who suffer from chronic pain use cannabis to manage their discomfort, according to a new study published in the JAMA Open Network.
Last spring, Michigan Medicine researchers surveyed 1,661 adults with chronic pain who lived in one of the 36 states with active medical cannabis programs and in Washington, D.C.
Researchers found that about 26% of study participants reported using cannabis to manage pain within the past year.
- Most people who have used cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain report using cannabis in place of other pain medications, including prescription opioids.
- The survey found that less than 1% said cannabis use increased their use of opioids, non-opioids, or over-the-counter pain relievers.
“The fact that patients report using cannabis instead of pain relievers highlights the need for research into the benefits and risks of using cannabis for chronic pain,” said the anesthesiologist. said Mark Bickett, assistant professor at and co-director of Michigan Opioids. Engagement Prescription.
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FDA: Treatment may be ineffective against variants
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Friday that AstraZeneca’s prophylactic monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 is similar to other mutations in the virus that are not neutralized by treatment, and therefore against the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant. I said it would likely not work.
In a statement, the FDA said it “does not expect Evusheld to neutralize XBB.1.5.”
“This means that Evusheld may not offer protection against developing COVID-19 to individuals who were administered Evusheld and later exposed to XBB.1.5,” the agency said. I’m here. “However, we are awaiting additional data to confirm that Evusheld is not active against his XBB.1.5. We will provide further updates as new information becomes available.”
- This treatment is also recommended for use in people who may not be suitable for the coronavirus vaccine or who have experienced side effects from the COVID-19 vaccination.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously recommended administering Evusheld to vaccinated, immunocompromised people to supplement the vaccine’s protection.
Some only options: Evusheld is currently the only licensed available option for pre-exposure prophylaxis in immunocompromised patients for whom vaccination alone may not provide a strong enough immune response.
Please check this out for details.
what we are reading
- More orthopedic surgeons sell to private equity firms, warning about cost and quality (Kaiser Health News)
- Nebraska, South Dakota, Oklahoma officials launch investigation into prison efforts to treat hepatitis C (Stat)
- EPA proposes new rules to crack down on deadly air pollution (CNN)
by state
- Texas senators cite false COVID vaccine claims in calling for new ‘bad side effects’ website (San Antonio Express-News)
- Wyoming Medicaid expansion hits lawmakers again (Casper Star Tribune)
- Arkansas medical marijuana sales hit annual record (KNWA)
That’s all for today, thanks for reading. For the latest news and coverage, visit The Hill’s Health Care page. See you Monday.
