RESEARCH
Harvard researchers confirm therapy's benefits for tick-borne illness
A medical procedure that involves transfusing red blood cells appears to lower the risk of death or hospital readmission in cases of severe babesiosis, according to a JAMA Internal Medicine study published this week.
A dangerous tick-borne infection transmitted by the same type of ticks that can carry Lyme disease, babesiosis can cause multi-organ failure and death in some cases. A team led by scientists from Mass General Brigham and Yale School of Public Health studied the records of over 3,000 patients hospitalized for babesiosis from 2010 to 2024. Out of 629 patients who were severely ill, those who received the transfusion in the first seven days had a five-fold lower risk of hospital death or readmission after 30 days.
The process rapidly reduces the number of infected red blood cells in the patient's system, replacing them with donor cells, corresponding author David Leaf told STAT. The process is sometimes used, but until now evidence of its effectiveness has been lacking, he said, leading to substantial variation in how frequently it is used. The findings are welcome news for thousands of people with babesiosis cases in the United States. — Helen Branswell
FIRST OPINION
A Netflix subscription model for HIV meds?
As a loyal STAT reader, you already know all about the exciting promise and power of lenacapavir, the drug that can provide nearly complete protection against HIV infection with a single administration every six months. You also likely already know how much an issue the price has become: $28,218 per person per year. In a new First Opinion essay, Johns Hopkins physician Michael Rose proposes a solution: the Netflix model.
A couple states (Louisiana, Washington) have already implemented this model for hepatitis C antivirals. "Like the streaming service that revolutionized how the world watches movies, insurers negotiated a subscription payment to manufacturers in exchange for unlimited access to the cure," Rose writes. Read more on how this could work for HIV prevention.
(Meanwhile, Gilead Sciences, the pharmaceutical company that developed lenacapavir, has reportedly refused to sell the groundbreaking drug for wider global distribution.)
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