DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Earlier, much smaller U.S. studies conducted in the mid-1980's had suggested roughly 60,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year. The estimated economic cost is $52 billion annually in the United States alone, according to a report of the study published in npj Parkinson's Disease. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research obtain increased funding for research and access to care. A separate study by Beck's team recently put the number of U.S. patients living with Parkinson's disease at nearly 1 million, whereas earlier estimates had been closer to 650,000, he said. "Because the U.S. population is aging, a lot of people are going to be entering the health system with Parkinson's disease," Beck said, "and there are only about 700 neurologists in the country who specialize in movement disorders."

There have been at least 8.7 million illnesses, 78,000 hospitalizations, and 4,500 deaths from flu so far this season, according to CDC estimates. She said flu season started earlier and "hospitalizations for flu continue to be the highest we have seen at this time of year in a decade." People also likely have weakened defenses after not being exposed to flu and RSV while working or schooling from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 12% fewer pregnant women have been vaccinated so far this season compared to last season, and about 5% fewer children, Walensky said. COVID-19 cases have risen following the Thanksgiving holiday and COVID-related hospitalizations have also increased about 15% to 20% over the last week, Walensky said.

☆ Merck could keep its patent edge by shifting Keytruda cancer drug to a simple shot
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

If successful, Merck could begin marketing the new formulation within a few years, a top Merck executive told Reuters. "The clock for that patent would start ticking from the time we would get that patent approved." Drug patents have a guaranteed term of exclusivity for 20 years after receiving a patent under U.S. law, but sometimes the companies are able to add additional patents that extend their exclusivity. Merck's patents on the subcutaneous version of Keytruda could protect that formulation until at least 2040, according to Tahir Amin, co-founder of drug patents watchdog group Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK). Northwell's Mulloy said moving patients to subcutaneous versions of drugs also opens up spots in infusion centers for additional patients.

☆ Moderna exec says COVID trials improved diversity recruiting
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Caroline Humer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Chief Medical Officer of Moderna Paul Burton attends the Reuters NEXT Newsmaker event in New York City, U.S., November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidNEW YORK, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc's top scientist said on Tuesday that the vaccine maker has learned how to better recruit from diverse populations for its clinical trials from running its COVID-19 vaccine studies. Moderna has worked to match that diverse enrollment in its other ongoing trials, Burton said. He said enrollment of people of color in its Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine trials was probably over 35%. To view the Reuters NEXT conference live on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, please click here.

The law allows the government to choose 10 drugs to negotiate from among the 50 costliest drugs for Medicare. Even so, Republicans will "chip away" at the drug price negotiation provision and its implementation, said Joel White, founder and president of Horizon Government Affairs. Biden is unlikely to weaken his signature domestic achievement, said Larry Levitt, Executive Vice President for Health Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Even Republican support for the drug pricing provision is not guaranteed because it is popular with voters across the political spectrum, he said. "All Republicans voted against drug price negotiation, but they have to tread carefully in any effort to weaken it."

☆ Musk says Twitter will let organizations identify their associated accounts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 13 (Reuters) - Twitter's billionaire owner Elon Musk on Sunday said that Twitter will soon enable organizations to identify twitter accounts associated with them as the new Twitter owner continues to find ways to limit fake accounts on the platform. "Rolling out soon," Musk in a tweet on Sunday said. "Twitter will enable organizations to identify which other Twitter accounts are actually associated with them." Musk in a tweet yesterday said that Twitter Blue will probably "come back end of next week". Twitter Inc's new owner Elon Musk on Thursday raised the possibility of the social media platform going bankrupt, the day it's trust and safety leader exited the company.

The public health emergency was initially declared in January 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began, and has been renewed each quarter since. "That is not the moment you want to pull down the public health emergency." The officials said a lot of work remained to be done for the transition out of the public health emergency. The government has been paying for COVID vaccines, some tests, and certain treatments, as well as other care under the public health emergency declaration. When the emergency expires, the government will begin to transfer COVID healthcare to private insurance and government health plans.

☆ U.S. teen tobacco use down to 3 mln in 2022, 'more work to be done,' health officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Bhanvi Satija | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The data found that one-in-nine U.S. teenagers were currently using a tobacco product. E-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among teens for the ninth consecutive year, according to the study published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Use of combustible tobacco products was highest among Black students at 5.7%. More than 3% of Black students reported smoking cigars, while 2.3% reported using a hookah. “With an ever-changing tobacco product landscape, there’s still more work to be done,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration's director of tobacco products Brian King said about reducing adolescent usage of nicotine products.

☆ New U.S. cancer drug prices rise 53% in five years -report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Deena Beasley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I do think there is a possibility we see launch prices go up," she said. Reuters GraphicsPorter, who championed inflation-based caps on drug prices, is calling for additional national legislation to link launch prices to how well a drug works. The report found that the average launch price of a self-administered cancer drug, after adjusting for inflation, rose by nearly 26% to $238,000 between 2017 and 2021. By 2022, six out of the eight newly-launched oral cancer drugs had prices over $200,000 per year. Based on current trends, the report calculated that by 2026, when Medicare will first be able to negotiate drug prices, the average self-administered cancer drug launch price will be nearly $325,000 per year and over $525,000 for pills and biologics.

☆ Global COVID cases will increase in coming months, but at a slower pace, analysis says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Daily global COVID-19 infections are projected to rise slowly to about 18.7 million by February from the current 16.7 million aveage daily cases, driven by the northern hemisphere's winter months, the University of Washington said in an analysis. The increase in cases is not expected to cause a surge in deaths, the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said. It forecast that global daily deaths would average 2,748 people on Feb. 1, compared with around 1,660 currently. IHME estimates that daily infections in the United States will increase by a third to more than a million, driven by students back in schools and cold weather-related indoor gatherings. A rapid increase in hospital admissions in Germany – the highest since the COVID outbreak in 2020 - remains an area of concern, it said.

☆ Global COVID cases will increase in coming months, but at a slower pace -report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Daily global COVID-19 infections are projected to rise slowly to about 18.7 million by February from the current 16.7 million aveage daily cases, driven by the northern hemisphere's winter months, the University of Washington said in an analysis. The increase in cases is not expected to cause a surge in deaths, the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said. It forecast that global daily deaths would average 2,748 people on Feb. 1, compared with around 1,660 currently. A surge in Germany has peaked already, it said in its report on Oct. 24. A rapid increase in hospital admissions in Germany – the highest since the COVID outbreak in 2020 - remains an area of concern, it said.

☆ Pfizer expects to hike U.S. COVID vaccine price to $110-$130 per dose
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc expects to roughly quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine to about $110 to $130 per dose after the United States government's current purchase program expires, Pfizer executive Angela Lukin said on Thursday. Lukin said she expects the vaccine - currently provided for free to all by the government - will be made available at no cost to people who have private insurance or government paid insurance. In 2023, the market is expected to move to private insurance after the U.S. public health emergency expires. "We are confident that the U.S. price point of the COVID-19 vaccine reflects its overall cost effectiveness and ensures the price will not be a barrier for access for patients," Lukin said. It is not yet clear what kind of access people without health insurance will have to the vaccine.

☆ Analysis: Falling demand for COVID boosters puts price hikes on the table
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, many on Wall Street were estimating the number of COVID-19 shots would be in line with the annual flu vaccine, which is the vaccine market leader with more than 160 million shots per year in the United States and 600 million shots globally. A recent poll by Kaiser Family Foundation found that two-thirds of American adults do not plan on getting a COVID vaccine soon. He added that instances of COVID infections in those who have been vaccinated has left many to question the effectiveness of the vaccine. The companies could make up for some of the weaker demand with price increases. That would mean annual revenue of $3 billion to $5 billion over the long-term for a company like Moderna, he added.

☆ U.S. committee recommends COVID shot for CDC's free vaccine program
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Hannah BeierNEW YORK, Oct 19 (Reuters) - An expert committee on Wednesday recommended that COVID-19 shots become part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine program for children, which provides many types of free inoculations to millions of kids each year. While all COVID-19 vaccines are currently provided free in the United States by the federal government, the U.S. public health emergency is expected to end in early 2023 and the private market will take over distribution of COVID vaccines and treatments. The committee's recommendation allows for distribution by the Vaccines for Children Program under the CDC's current COVID vaccine guidance, which is for all children over the age of 6 months to be vaccinated and those age 5 and older to receive booster shots. In the United States, the CDC sets out a schedule of vaccination targets by age and states decide which vaccines are mandatory for school entry. Only about one-third of school-aged children have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the United States.

☆ U.S. sends experimental antibody, antiviral drug to Uganda for Ebola outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | Nancy Lapid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There are currently no proven vaccines or treatments for the Sudan species of Ebola, one of four known Ebola viruses to cause hemorrhagic fever in humans. The outbreak confirmed by the Ugandan health ministry on Sept. 20 is the largest of the Sudan species since 2000. "If healthcare workers start to fall ill and die, it's going to negatively impact the response," said Montgomery, who had just returned from a trip to Uganda. For instance, healthcare workers may be reluctant to assist in the response, he said in a phone interview. A large outbreak of the Zaire species of Ebola in West Africa from 2014-2016 led to effective vaccines and treatment, but there are no proven treatments or vaccines for the Sudan species.

☆ Addiction drug shows promise lifting long COVID brain fog, fatigue
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | Nancy Lapid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Lauren Nichols, who has long COVID, takes a break and rests in a lounge bed in the office in her home in Andover, Massachusetts, U.S., August 3, 2022. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterResearchers chasing long COVID cures are eager to learn whether the drug can offer similar benefits to millions suffering from pain, fatigue and brain fog months after a coronavirus infection. Younger, author of a scientific review of the drug as a novel anti-inflammatory, in September submitted a grant application to study LDN for long COVID. It worked so well that he ran a pilot study among 38 long COVID patients. He studied LDN in 18 long COVID patients, with 11 showing improvements, and said he believes larger, formal trials could determine whether LDN offers a true benefit.

☆ Long COVID at 12 months persists at 18 months, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Nancy Lapid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Carlo AllegriOct 13 (Reuters) - Most patients with COVID-19 who have lingering symptoms at 12 months are likely to still have symptoms at 18 months, new data suggest. Among a subset of 197 survivors of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections who completed surveys at 12 months and 18 months, most reported lingering symptoms at both time points, researchers reported in Nature Communications. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterRates of no recovery at 12 months were 11% with 51% partial recovery and 39% complete recovery. At six months, 8% reported no recovery, 47% reported partial recovery, and 45% reported complete recovery. Those rates had barely changed at 12 months, with 8% reporting no recovery, 46% partial recovery and 46% complete recovery.

WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic toll of the opioid addiction and overdose crisis on the United States reached nearly $1.5 trillion in 2020 alone and is likely to grow, a Congressional report seen by Reuters shows. It's a mind boggling number of deaths," said Representative David Trone, who sits on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee (JEC) that issued the report. "The rise in fatal opioid overdoses in 2021 suggests the total cost is likely to continue to increase," the report said. Although opioid use is more common among white people, Black people accounted for 17% of U.S. fatal opioid overdoses in 2020 despite making up 12.5% of the population. President Joe Biden announced on Friday nearly $1.5 billion to fund access to medications for opioid overdoses, sanctions against traffickers, and increased funding for law enforcement.

☆ U.S. rollout of new COVID boosters off to slow start
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A nurse fills up syringes with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines for residents who are over 50 years old and immunocompromised and are eligible to receive their second booster shots in Waterford, Michigan, U.S., April 8, 2022. The government said earlier this week it has shipped 25 million of the Omicron-tailored shots, mostly from Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech (22UAy.DE). Last year, when the United States initially authorized COVID boosters just for older and immunocompromised people, nearly 10 million received their third shot in the first three weeks. The updated shots target the widely circulating BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants as well as the original version of the coronavirus included in all previous COVID vaccines. Moderna had been producing new boosters aimed at the older BA.1 Omicron subvariant when the FDA asked them to change course to address the currently dominant variants for the U.S. market.

People walk on a street affected by the passing of Hurricane Fiona in Penuelas, Puerto Rico September 19, 2022. Baxter, which makes small bags for intravenous medication, clinical nutrition products and inhaled anesthetics in Puerto Rico, said its facilities have "sustained little to no damage" from the storm. The company took a $70 million revenue hit after Hurricane Maria in 2017, spurring it to diversify manufacturing of key products. Drugmakers with plants in Puerto Rico said they have been able to keep up production and supplies as well. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) said operations were restored at all its sites in Puerto Rico by Wednesday.

☆ U.S. delivers over 25 mln COVID boosters; Moderna's shot in limited supply
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A nurse fills up syringes with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines for residents who are over 50 years old and immunocompromised and are eligible to receive their second booster shots in Waterford, Michigan, U.S., April 8, 2022. Both CVS and Walgreens said they are working with the government to acquire more Moderna doses and have not seen any supply issues for the Pfizer/BioNTech booster. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterIn August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer and Moderna's updated booster shots that target the dominant BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants, as the country prepares for a broad fall revaccination campaign. It said it expects to ship the 70 million doses by the end of the year, as promised in its contract. The U.S. has ordered more than 170 million updated vaccine booster shots for this fall when all individuals aged 12 and over who have already received the initial doses of the vaccine are being encouraged to receive a booster shot.

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - What is the status of COVID-19 now that President Joe Biden has told the CBS 60 Minutes news program the pandemic is over in the United States? The United States is still operating under the public health emergency, first declared in January 2020. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is expected to renew that designation in October but then let the public health emergency expire in January 2023. read moreWorld Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week that the "end is in sight" for the pandemic, but still urged nations to maintain their vigilance. The United States has just begun a new COVID vaccination campaign with boosters tailored to the Omicron variant that leading infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci compared to the annual flu vaccination efforts.

Search resuls for: "Caroline Humer"

22 mentions found