After good news on bivalent boosters, FDA will weigh updating primary Covid vaccine

In a little over a month the FDA will convene its advisory committee on vaccination to consider whether to update the primary dose series of Covid vaccines to a bivalent version like this fall’s booster shots, designed to better keep up with the evolving coronavirus. Protection from the original vaccine wanes over time, so “it's important to continue discussions about the optimal composition of Covid-19 vaccines for primary and booster vaccination, as well as the optimal interval for booster vaccination,” the FDA’s Peter Marks said in a statement.

Data from the CDC released Friday gave a vote of confidence to the two-strain Covid booster shots, which target both the original strain of the virus and a newer Omicron strain. The results show they provide substantial protection against illness and hospitalization, even in people who were previously vaccinated. STAT’s Matthew Herper and Jason Mast have more.

Fentanyl test strips work but they’re still controversial

Just last week, we told you that drug overdose deaths among adolescents ages 10 to 19 soared starting in 2019, even though illicit drug use in this age group fell during that timespan. A likely factor, the CDC report said, was more potent drugs, rather than more use: Over 80% of the deaths involved fentanyl.

Test strips that detect the dangerous synthetic opioid can help people who use drugs prevent a deadly overdose, but although they are inexpensive and effective, they remain inaccessible for many people in the U.S. and are illegal in many states. This video from STAT’s Hyacinth Empinado explains how fentanyl test strips work, how they can reduce harm from drug use, and why they are controversial around the country.

Flu season came early this year. So might its peak

Dare we say there’s good news about respiratory viruses? Flu season has hit hard and unusually early, but it may also be peaking, STAT’s Helen Branswell reports. The percentage of outpatient visits to health care providers for respiratory illnesses declined for a second week in a row, the CDC’s weekly influenza report, FluView, showed. And the number of people hospitalized for influenza declined in the week ending Dec. 10, compared to the previous week.

“Activity is still really high. But it does look like things might be starting to decline in some areas of the country,” Lynnette Brammer, team lead for domestic surveillance in the CDC’s influenza division, told Helen. With holidays approaching, could there be another spike? “Flu’s so unpredictable. I don’t know,” Brammer said. Read more.

Closer look: Why so few patients are taking new drugs for sickle cell disease

(LEE KLAFCZYNSKI FOR STAT)

Born with sickle cell disease, Lena Harvey (above) has led a life marked by pain: sudden crises sending her to the hospital alongside a constant, grinding ache that saps her energy. But in February 2021, a pill called Oxbryta changed her life, giving her pain-free days and the energy to work as a patient advocate. The three-times-a-day drug is just the fourth ever medication for sickle cell, a blood disorder that primarily affects people of African ancestry and has long been overlooked by drugmakers.

Few of the 100,000 Americans living with sickle cell are actively on that drug, or Adakveo, approved the same month to reduce pain crises. Even older, more basic interventions are vastly underused. STAT’s Jason Mast explores how to get cutting-edge medicines to patients who have often been denied access to even the most basic care, and how companies and researchers are finally pouring resources into a search for better sickle-cell treatments.

‘Pharmacological restraints’ used more often for young black men in EDs

Hospitals are crowded, emergency departments are overflowing, and psychiatric beds are in short supply. It’s not surprising that people who need care for mental and behavioral conditions may develop agitation during prolonged emergency visits. A new study looking at how that agitation is handled found disparities in the use of what’s called “pharmacologic restraint,” defined as intramuscular or intravenous antipsychotic medication given in the ED. Black male patients ages 18 to 21 had 22% higher odds of receiving pharmacologic restraint compared to other young patients with similar diagnoses.

This kind of treatment, used in 4.1% of the more than half a million encounters over 11 prepandemic years analyzed in the study, was also associated with overnight or weekend hours and repeat emergency department visits. EDs with more mental and behavioral health-related visits used pharmacologic restraint less often.

Publisher withdraws study on inequities in pain relief during childbirth

A study about disparities in pain relief for women of color during childbirth published last Thursday in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine has been withdrawn by the BMJ. “Serious data quality issues have come to light in respect of the research ‘Disparities in peripartum anesthesia and analgesia across four hospitals within one major city health system,’” the BMJ media relations team said on Friday.

That notice arrived after an item about the research appeared in Friday's Morning Rounds. As more information becomes available, we’ll share it with you here.

What we're reading

Ukraine’s combat amputees face a hard road home, Washington Post
Eli Lilly diabetes drug Mounjaro in short supply, FDA says, STAT
Canada delays right to physician-assisted death for mentally ill people, The Guardian
Here are the finalists for best biopharma CEO of 2022. And a winner, STAT
After tuition, books, and room and board, colleges’ rising health fees hit a nerve, Kaiser Health News
Guardant Health trial of colon cancer liquid biopsy test disappoints observers, STAT