Arthritis drug Actemra in short supply as demand for use in COVID ramps up
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 18, 2021
Demand for Actemra IV has skyrocketed due to the latest wave of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, drugmaker Genentech says. In the past two weeks alone, orders for the drug shot up to 400% of pre-COVID...
HHS halts Eli Lilly’s single-drug COVID antibody treatment in U.S.; dual-drug alternative remains in...
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 26, 2021
U.S. distribution of an infusion treatment using bamlanivimab only has been halted due to virus variant concerns, but an alternative antibody cocktail from the drugmaker can still be ordered, according...
FDA set to approve two COVID-19 antiviral pills this week
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 22, 2021
FDA is expected to grant emergency use authorization to two antiviral COVID-19 pills this week, possibly as early as today, according to Bloomberg News, citing sources familiar with the matter.
FDA no longer requires positive COVID-19 test to prescribe Paxlovid, Lagevrio
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 01, 2023
The FDA on Wednesday made it easier for clinicians to prescribe these antiviral drugs in cases where transmission is evident and the patient is at high risk of severe illness.
Feds halt an Eli Lilly antibody therapy in 3 states due to variant fears, while boosting the treatment...
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 19, 2021
A COVID-19 variant circulating widely in California, Arizona and Nevada has rendered bamlanivimab alone ineffective, an FDA official reports. But Lilly says an approved alternative treatment “maintains...
New data: With no booster, nursing home residents face 30 percent higher COVID risk
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 29, 2023
Nursing home residents who have received the COVID-19 bivalent booster shot are 30% to 50% less likely to become infected with SARS-CoV-2 than their fellow residents who haven’t gotten boosted, the...
FDA OKs third antibody COVID therapy; variants spur new pause on another
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 01, 2021
A new COVID-19 treatment made by GlaxoSmithKline now is the third monoclonal antibody therapy federally authorized to help prevent severe disease outcomes in high-risk patients. But gene variants are interfering...
U.S., Canada ‘not that different’ in LTC staff response to pandemic work conditions: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 19, 2021
“We talk about how great Canada’s healthcare system is vis-à-vis that of the United States … but we are not that different when it comes to long-term care,” the researchers say.
U.S. COVID-19 strategy must veer to protecting the vulnerable, experts say
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 22, 2022
When planning for a future with COVID-19, some clinicians believe that the public health focus should turn from stopping transmission to protecting those most likely to become severely ill, according to...
Two years into pandemic, we’re better prepared to fight off virus variants
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 02, 2021
Despite the threat of the quickly spreading and highly mutated omicron coronavirus variant — which has just landed in the U.S. — we are safer than we were before the pandemic, some experts say.