December 21, 2022

Clinical Newsletter: Healthcare Updates December 2022

What’s in the News.. Clinical Departments Healthcare Update

PUBLIC HEALTH

COVID-19 in the U.S. CDC | Data as of: December 20, 2022
Confirmed Cases: 100,003,814 New cases per day: 53,328
Hospitalizations: 35,469 as of 12/14/2022, down from 108,194 patients hospitalized with Covid 19 during the last peak in February 2022. New admissions daily avg: 5,140
Deaths: 1,088,391 (Since March 18 2020) Current average number of Deaths per day: 564. A record high number of deaths was recorded on 1/20/2021- 4,389 deaths
Covid compared to Flu: The CDC estimates 12,000-50,000 deaths per year caused by the flu. There has been over 1 million deaths due to Covid 19 in the United States since March 2020.

  • COVID-19 bivalent vaccine, mRNA-Moderna received emergency use authorization October12, 2022 for aged ≥6 years and on December 8, 2022 for 6 months through 5 years
  • Paxlovid Has Been Free So Far. Next Year, Sticker Shock Awaits. The U.S. government paid$350 per course, a discount for buying in bulk. The drug will cost far more on the privatemarket. Additional information on Medscape
    For additional information: CDC Covid Tracker covid.cdc.gov, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center coronavirus.jhu.ed

TRENDING

  • Flu, RSV and COVID-19 coinfections. As flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 collide this winter, questions linger about the potential for people to contract multiple infections at once: 4 updates Read more…
  • Can adults get RSV? Not just for kids: Infectious diseases expert explains how RSV can be severe for adults in high-risk groups Read more at UC Davis Health
  • US may see early peak to flu season Read more at beckershospitalreview.com
  • The New Obesity Breakthrough Drugs Read full article on Medscape

PHARMA

  • 2023 forecast: FDA revamps cancer drug approvals, and Big Pharma is willing to fall in line Fierce Pharma
  • Pipeline: Neurotech’s vision loss cell therapy implant hits primary goals in phase 3 trials Read more on fiercepharma.com
  • Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) was approved for the treatment of diabetes May 2022 and is on fast track at FDA to be approved for weight loss. Read more on Healthline
  • New indication -Tecentriq: Approved December 9 2022 for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma in adults and children >2 years. AWP 140-200K per year. Tecentriq was previously FDA approved for the treatment of Liver cancer, Melanoma and small cell & non-small cell lung cancer. The ASCO Post

HEALTHCARE FRAUD

TECH

  • Cancer center leaders lay bare CAR-T makers’ struggles—and an unexpected laggard. Despite five years of collective experience making and selling engineered human cell products, the biopharma industry is still struggling to ensure smooth and timely access. Read more on fiercepharma.com
  • Pfizer Doubles Down on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Bring Transformative Medicines to Patients. Read full article on biospace.com
  • 2023 forecast: How AI and virtual tech will take on clinician burnout Read on Fierce Biotech

PAYER

  • Fitch: Payers should withstand rising inflation, interest rates Becker’s Payer Issues
  • Judge questions surprise billing ban implementation during court hearing Healthcaredive.com
  • High-intensity billing in ERs has increased, but not only due to up coding. Read more…
  • Despite Biden’s drug pricing win, the biopharma industry is not ‘anywhere near done with thisconversation’ Fierce Pharma.com
  • Many Hospitals Get Big Drug Discounts. That Doesn’t Mean Markdowns for Patients.Through a government program aimed at helping low-income patients, some hospitals buy medications at reduced prices. They can sell them to patients and their insurers for much more. Wall Street Journal (registration required)

HEALTH CARE CONSUMER / MISC

Tags: