GlaxoSmithKline plans Shingrix push; new RSV shot for elders in works
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 28, 2021
GSK’s shingles vaccine will get a renewed marketing push following a large drop in sales during the pandemic, and the company is aiming to launch a fast-tracked shot for a common respiratory virus...
Unintended effects: Antibiotic prescribing falls 79 percent for respiratory viruses
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 28, 2021
Rates have remained low throughout the pandemic, and appear to be the consequence of measures to curb COVID-19 transmission. The same public health strategies could be used to help reduce antibiotic overprescribing...
Clinical briefs for Monday, June 28
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 28, 2021
To save itself, Medicare could deny coverage of controversial new Alzheimer’s drug, expert predicts … Aduhelm most appropriate for early dementia, MCI, experts say … Eli Lilly to seek early approval...
Eliminating residents’ chronic pain not a realistic goal: Aim for quality of life, experts tell...
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 24, 2021
Even the best, multimodal treatment strategies may be only 30% effective, say the authors of a new review and pain management guide.
Wearers of medical masks and respirators have same infection rates in healthcare settings: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 24, 2021
The risk of receiving a positive COVID-19 test result was the same among healthcare workers who wore either type of mask, investigators say. In contrast, their non-mask-wearing colleagues had significantly...
COVID deaths now ‘entirely preventable’ due to vaccines, CDC director says
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 24, 2021
High vaccine efficacy in the United States means that “every death due to COVID-19 is particularly tragic because nearly every death, especially among adults … [is] entirely preventable,”...
Clinical briefs for Thursday, June 24
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 24, 2021
TV ads linked to increased prescription drug use in older adults … ‘High-cost drugs with little clinical value’: Employers plead for drug pricing controls after Aduhelm approval … Key clinical...
Nursing home death rate soared 32 percent in 2020
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 23, 2021
The coronavirus pandemic’s “devastating impact” on nursing homes led to a 32% spike in overall mortality rate among Medicare residents during 2020, according to a new report by the Office of Inspector...
Clinical briefs for Wednesday, June 23
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 23, 2021
Half of LTC residents with brain tumor surgery return to community, European study finds … Long-term respiratory multimorbidity increases depression risk … Medicare should run its own study of...
AHA to clinicians: Screen for and treat sleep apnea before it worsens heart disease
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 23, 2021
Sleep apnea can cause a negative feedback loop, worsening cardiovascular conditions, which then further aggravate the sleep apnea, specialists say.