| | | | | | | Presented By PhRMA | | | | Axios Vitals | | By Tina Reed ·Jul 23, 2021 | | Happy Friday, Vitals readers! This newsletter is 983 words, or a 4-minute read. 🥇The Tokyo 2020 Olympic opening ceremony is today. | | | | | | 1 big thing: Biogen's mad there's no hype for its Alzheimer's drug |  | | | Illustration: Megan Robinson/Axios | | | | Biogen took aim at critics and the media during its quarterly earnings call Thursday, saying the federal approval of the company's new Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm, "has been the subject of extensive misinformation and misunderstanding," Axios' Bob Herman writes. Why it matters: Biogen has billions of dollars on the line with this drug, and uptake has been very slow so far, due in part to the blowback. But the company's grievances don't change the fact that Aduhelm failed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's in late-stage clinical trials. Driving the news: Biogen's head of research and development, Al Sandrock, published a letter that defended the drug's approval. - "What do you suppose it is about Alzheimer's disease that causes the media to react so negatively to a drug that could actually help patients and their families?" Jay Olson, an analyst at Oppenheimer, asked during Biogen's earnings call.
- "You're absolutely right in your question and your description of what we are exposed to," Biogen CEO Michel Vounatsos responded.
The other side: Many physicians and researchers aren't buying Biogen's "misinformation" claims, and experts argue Biogen is obfuscating the truth. By the numbers: Aduhelm sales hit $1.6 million in the first few weeks post-approval. Almost all of that came from medical centers purchasing the drug and keeping it in inventory. Yes, but: Some hospitals and insurers have already said they won't administer or cover Aduhelm due to a lack of evidence it works. The bottom line: Biogen has a huge financial incentive to make this drug look better than what the clinical trials showed. - The company's strategy "is evidently to gaslight the entire industry," Raymond James analyst Steven Seedhouse wrote Thursday.
|     | | | | | | 2. Dangerous fungus found in U.S. care facilities |  | | | A medical illustration of Candida auris. Medical illustration: Stephanie Rossow/CDC | | | | CDC officials are concerned about a strain of the Candida auris fungus that's resistant to all drugs and appears to have spread in small clusters in health care settings, Axios' Eileen Drage O'Reilly writes. - Previously, the fungus was found only in individuals who gained resistance after taking antifungal medication.
Why it matters: "The concern is that it could spread to any of the patients who are at high risk, not just the ones who've been treated before," Meghan Lyman, medical officer in the CDC's Mycotic Diseases Branch, tells Axios. What's happening: Small, independent clusters of pan-resistant C. auris infections were found from January to April this year: three in D.C. (out of 101 C. auris cases) and two in Texas (out of 22 cases), according to CDC's MMWR report Thursday. - "These clusters are the first time where we're really concerned that it's spreading," Lyman says, as none of the patients had exposure to echinocandin before.
- "It's most likely spread through contaminated health care surfaces, " she says, which can include anything from beds, to mobile equipment, to shared PPE, to the hands from a health care worker if not properly sanitized.
Go deeper: The growing threat of drug-resistant, invasive fungi | | | | | | | | 3. Telehealth hits its peak | | One pandemic-era phenomenon that may have peaked: virtual doctor visits, Axios' Courtenay Brown writes. What's new: Nearly one-quarter of American adults had a virtual doctor appointment within the past month, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau survey. - The share has steadily eased — slightly, by a total of 1 percentage point — since the Census Bureau began asking the question in April.
Telemedicine was already shriveling up at this time last year, when it accounted for 21% of doctor visits, per electronic record health company Epic. - Compare that to 69% in April 2020, near the onset of the pandemic.
The big picture: Patients are returning for the care pushed off when the pandemic hit, quarterly earnings reports out this week from hospital operators show. | | | | | | | | A message from PhRMA | | People want choice and access to medicines in Medicare – not barriers | | |  | | | | In Washington, what politicians say and what they mean can be very different.
To save money, some politicians are willing to sacrifice access to medicines in Medicare. This could make it harder for seniors and those with a disability to get the medicines they need. There's a better way. | | | | | | 4. Wildfire smoke increases COVID danger |  | | | Wildfires burning out of control across the Western U.S. causes hazy skies throughout New York City and Washington, D.C. Photo: Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images | | | | New studies show the smoke from some wildfires could be even more harmful than previously believed, the Los Angeles Times reports. Why it matters: Hazardous chemicals in the air are linked to serious health implications for blood pressure, reproductive systems and even cancer and neurological disorders, especially in children, Axios' Marisa Fernandez writes. Driving the news: Wildfires in U.S. have been unusually intense this year, setting emissions records. - "You're not only now burning wood. You're burning heavy metals, and you're burning plastics and other things that wouldn't burn just in a forest fire," Peter DeCarlo, an associate professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University, told the L.A. Times.
The big picture: Researchers are also linking the potentially negative effects of wildfire smoke and COVID-19 with respiratory illnesses. - A study published this month found that wildfire smoke may greatly increase susceptibility to COVID-19.
- The immediate effects of wildfire smoke are also concerning to experts, who fear the smoke will drive high populations of unvaccinated people indoors and lead to a spike in community infections, Kaiser Health News reports.
| | | | | | | | 5. Cyberattacks pummel hospitals |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | A historic increase in the number and severity of cyberattacks during the last 18 months will cause "material" pressures on non-profit health system's revenue and expenses, according to a new report from Fitch Ratings. What they're saying: "Cyber-crime accelerated during the pandemic as cybercriminals took advantage of the crisis, causing immense disruption to the healthcare sector at a time when it was facing enormous patient care demands," Fitch analysts wrote. By the numbers: Attacks have increased not just in volume, but in "sophistication and scale," with a 16% increase in the average cost to recover each patient record in 2020 compared to 2019. - The largest costs include ransomware payouts and efforts to "harden" systems that are affecting hospital financial flexibility by increasing expenses.
- Attacks can also hurt revenue, particularly if they affect a health system's ability to bill patients when financial records are compromised or locked, analysts warned.
| | | | | | | | 6. Dog of the week |  | | | Photo: Carrie Cochran-McClain | | | | Meet Thor, a 16-month-old Australian labradoodle with "some serious personality," says mom Carrie Cochran-McClain, chief policy officer at the National Rural Health Association. - Thor was a "pandemic puppy" and now loves playing with his human brother and sister, romping at Congressional Cemetery in Washington D.C., and sleeping on the softest thing he can find.
| | | | | | | | A message from PhRMA | | People want choice and access to medicines in Medicare – not barriers | | |  | | | | In Washington, what politicians say and what they mean can be very different.
To save money, some politicians are willing to sacrifice access to medicines in Medicare. This could make it harder for seniors and those with a disability to get the medicines they need. There's a better way. | | |  | | It'll help you deliver employee communications more effectively. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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