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Biogen is doubling down on Alzheimer’s with a massive gene therapy deal
Happy Friday, readers. You may recall that Biogen stunned the biotech world last fall when it announced it would be reviving its left-for-dead experimental Alzheimer’s treatment aducanumab. The company wasn’t just bringing the treatment back to life, it plans on submitting to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for regulatory approval, hoping to lay claim to the first medicine ever approved to treat the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s (rather than just its symptoms). That controversial decision was spurred by a new analysis of data from aducanumab trials (more on that here). And we’ll find out soon enough if the gamble will work. But in the meantime, Biogen is plowing forward…
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First coronavirus-related drug shortage hits U.S.
The first drug shortages directly tied to the coronavirus outbreak have hit the U.S, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agency did not identify the specific drug that was impacted but said in an announcement Thursday the shortage was due to a key ingredient sourced from China being unavailable. “A manufacturer has alerted us to a shortage of a human drug that was recently added to the drug shortages list,” the FDA said. “The manufacturer just notified us that this shortage is related to a site affected by coronavirus. The shortage is due to an issue with manufacturing of an active pharmaceutical ingredient used in the drug.”…
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Drug Shows Promise Vs. Aggressive Breast Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The immunotherapy drug Keytruda might offer a new treatment option to women with an aggressive form of breast cancer, a clinical trial suggests. The study found that for women with “triple-negative” breast cancer, adding Keytruda to standard chemotherapy improved their odds of responding. And in the months afterward, women treated with the drug were less likely to see their cancer come back. The findings are encouraging in a disease that is challenging to treat, said Dr. Skip Burris, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “I think these results will be greeted enthusiastically by doctors and patients,” said…
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Record Number of Pedestrian Deaths Seen in U.S.
THURSDAY, Feb. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Walking on America’s streets is getting ever more dangerous, a new report shows. Based on data from the first six months of 2019, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) predicts there were 6,590 pedestrian deaths that year, which would be a 5{ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} increase over the 6,227 pedestrian deaths in 2018. The 2019 figure is the highest number of such deaths in more than 30 years, according to the association. “In the past 10 years, the number of pedestrian fatalities on our nation’s roadways has increased by more than 50{ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00},” said GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins. “This alarming trend signifies…
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More Than 4 in 10 Americans Are Now Obese: CDC
THURSDAY, Feb. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In a sign that suggests America’s obesity epidemic is far from under control, a new government report shows that more than 40{ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} of people in the United States are obese. And almost 1 in 10 is severely obese, the researchers added. “Over the time period from 1999 to 2018, the obesity prevalence increased about 12{ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} — from 30.5{ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} of Americans to 42.4{ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} of Americans. Severe obesity almost doubled,” said study author Dr. Craig Hales. He’s a medical epidemiologist with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much more than just a…
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Preparing for Coronavirus: Dos and Don’ts
Public health officials have been urging people to prepare — not panic — for the new coronavirus (also known as COVID-19). Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself right now.