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What We're Reading: Scientists Question Novel COVID-19 Therapy; Fauci Warns of Rushed Vaccine; Remdesivir Efficacy
Scientists say data on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment convalescent plasma may be misrepresented; Anthony Fauci, MD, warned that distributing a COVID-19 vaccine without testing in large trials could affect other vaccines; remdesivir was shown to have little effect in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Blood Plasma Data Misrepresented, Scientists Say
After being granted emergency use authorization (EUA) by the FDA, data on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment convalescent plasma is being challenged by scientists nationwide as they say it misrepresents its potential efficacy among the general population. Reported by The New York Times, President Trump and 2 of his top officials said that the treatment had reduced deaths by 35%. However, scientists say that data was based on a small subgroup of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who were under 80 years old, not on ventilators, and received the treatment within 3 days of diagnosis.
Fauci Warns of Rushed Vaccine
Reported by Reuters, the nation’s top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, MD, warned that distributing a COVID-19 vaccine under EUA guidelines, without assessing its safety and efficacy in large trials, could lead to an adverse effect on the testing of other vaccines. Noting risks of this strategy, Fauci said that prematurely releasing a vaccine would make it difficult, if not impossible, for other vaccines to enroll people in their trial. These comments come as President Trump claimed, without evidence, that “deep state” elements at the FDA were delaying progress to harm his November election bid.
Remdesivir Shows Scant Benefit in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19
According to open-label trial findings published last week in JAMA, the antiviral drug remdesivir was shown to have little effect in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in 105 hospitals across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Reported by CIDRAP, there were no significant differences in duration of supplemental oxygen or hospitalization between the intervention group given remdesivir and the control group given standard care. However, a separate small study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Monday suggests the therapy may benefit patients with COVID-19 who are receiving mechanical ventilation.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
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New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
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Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
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ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
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