CDC reports first human H5 bird flu infection in U.S.

The CDC announced late yesterday that a Colorado man has tested positive for an H5 bird flu virus — the first such recorded infection in the U.S. The CDC did not reveal the neuraminidase subtype of the virus — the N portion of an influenza A virus’ name. The country is currently experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in both wild birds and in commercial poultry flocks. The man experienced only fatigue; he is now in isolation and being treated with the flu antiviral oseltamivir. A statement from Colorado’s public health department said he is incarcerated at a state correctional facility and was culling poultry as part of a pre-release employment program. “We want to reassure Coloradans that the risk to them is low,” state epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy said in a statement. STAT’s Helen Branswell has more.

Researchers deploy machine learning to unravel long Covid’s mysteries

Long Covid, with its constellation of symptoms, is proving a difficult moving target for researchers trying to conduct large studies. As they take aim, they’re debating how to responsibly use the growing pile of real-world data. By far the largest source of real-world data on long Covid is a first-of-its-kind centralized federal database of electronic health records called the National Covid Cohort Collaborative, or N3C. Kickstarted with $25 million in NIH funding early in the pandemic, N3C now includes de-identified patient data from 72 sites around the country, representing 13 million patients and nearly 5 million Covid cases. That work has started to trace a clearer picture of long Covid, but having a firmer understanding of how to define the syndrome could also potentially support ongoing recruitment efforts for critical long Covid trials, some of which have been slow to make progress on their enrollment goals. STAT’s Katie Palmer has more.

FDA releases plan to ban menthol cigarettes

The U.S. government released its highly anticipated plan yesterday to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, which have taken a disproportionate toll on Black smokers, the Associated Press reports. Eliminating menthol cigarettes could prevent between 300,000 and 650,000 smoking deaths over 40 years, the FDA said. Menthol, whose cooling effect masks the throat harshness of smoking, accounts for more than a third of cigarettes sold in the U.S. and is overwhelmingly favored by Black smokers and young people. Menthol was the only flavor not prohibited under a 2009 law that gave the FDA authority over tobacco products, an exemption negotiated by industry lobbyists. The agency’s proposals on both cigarettes and cigars are only initial drafts and are unlikely to be finalized before next year.

Closer look: A century-old technology sparks neurology drug startups

A sensor net for an electroencephalogram. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Biotechs are used to turning to genetics as guideposts in developing new medications. Now, a small but growing number of startups are turning to a century-old technology found in hospitals and doctors’ offices across the country to find new clues for developing brain disorder treatments. At least four biotechs — Athira Pharma, Alto Neuroscience, Beacon Biosignals, and Neumora Therapeutics — have integrated electroencephalograms, or EEGs, in their work. The tests use dozens of electrodes placed around a person’s head to measure brain waves, generally to diagnose epilepsy or sleep disorders, but these companies believe they could unveil new biomarkers for many other conditions. Recently, investors have been taken in by the promise of new brain biomarkers that could make the field a less risky venture. STAT’s Allison DeAngelis explains in STAT+ how companies are looking at biomarkers on various brain waves to predict treatment outcomes.

What might entice drugmakers to cut insulin prices?

After a yearslong debate over how to best lower patients’ prescription drug prices, two senators are workshopping a new idea to slash insulin costs: dangling incentives to convince drugmakers to lower prices of their own free will. It’s largely based on a common complaint from drugmakers: Their sticker prices are sky-high because they have to pay insurers to get more favorable coverage. The policy would ban those payments to insurers and cap patients’ monthly out-of-pocket costs for insulin, but only if drugmakers agree to reduce their prices to 2006 levels. Even if no drugmakers bite, the plan would still lower costs for some patients with insurance, as insurers would have to offer at least one insulin product at $35 per month. STAT’s Rachel Cohrs runs through questions about the policy championed by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

Prevalence of high blood pressure in pregnancy is rising, especially among Black patients

High blood pressure in pregnancy, a leading cause of complications, is becoming more common, a new CDC study reports. The disorder, which is preventable through monitoring and medication, disproportionately affects people of color. From 2017 through 2019, prevalence rose from 13% to 16% of hospital deliveries, which translates into 1 in 7 births. But it was higher for Black women, at more than 1 in 5 delivery hospitalizations, and for American Indian and Alaska Native women, at about 1 in 6. About one-third of those who died during their hospitalization had hypertension. Rising rates of risk factors, such as being over age 35, obesity, and diabetes, may explain the increase, the researchers say, as well as differences in access to health care and the quality of that care. “Timely diagnosis and treatment … are critical to preventing severe complications and mortality,” they write.

What to read around the web today

Medicare’s Brooks-LaSure expects restrictions on accelerated approval drugs, like those for Aduhelm, to be ‘very rare.’ STAT+
Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams calls for masking 'compassion.' NPR
Running faster means overriding your body’s natural tendency to conserve calories. Wall Street Journal
With new diabetes drug data, Eli Lilly is taking aim at obesity. STAT+
Humans can’t quit a basic myth about dog breeds. The Atlantic