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| Presented By UnitedHealth Group |
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| Axios Vitals |
| By Tina Reed ·Jul 02, 2021 |
| 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Good morning, Vitals readers. A happy and safe Independence Day weekend to all of you! Don't forget to wear sunscreen. - Situational awareness: Vitals will not be in your inbox on Monday due to the holiday. We'll be back on Tuesday.
Today's newsletter is 667 words, or a 3-minute read. |
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| 1 big thing: COVID declines as a leading cause of death |
 Reproduced from Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker; Chart: Axios visuals COVID-19 dropped to the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. in June, a marked decline from January 2021 when it was No. 1, new Kaiser Family Foundation data shows. Why it matters: COVID-19 is still wreaking major havoc in the U.S., especially among people who aren't vaccinated. On the other hand: We've come a long way, baby. Let's hope the progress continues. |
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| 2. Ads target moderate Dems, pharma allies |
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| Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios |
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| One Democratic defector in the Senate could sink the party's effort to lower prescription drug prices, and a series of new ad campaigns are giving strong hints about who advocates are most worried about, Axios' Caitlin Owens writes. Driving the news: Two organizations advocating for Medicare to have the authority to negotiate drug prices announced new ad campaigns yesterday. - Protect Our Care said it's launching digital ads in New Jersey and West Virginia advocating for Medicare negotiations. It's also running ads in Arizona and has plans to add Delaware to the list.
- These states are represented by Sens. Bob Menendez, Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema and Tom Carper — all members who are either politically moderate or considered more sympathetic to the drug industry than the rest of the caucus.
- Patients for Affordable Drugs Now announced a pro-Medicare negotiations campaign targeted specifically at Menendez, Carper and Sen. Bob Casey, all of whom are members of the Senate committee tasked with writing the legislation.
The intrigue: The Patients for Affordable Drugs Now campaign originally included Sen. Michael Bennet as well, but the organization announced yesterday that it's suspending its activity in Colorado. - "We received strong assurances of Senator Bennet's continued commitment to fighting for a strong Senate Finance Committee drug pricing bill that will include an effective approach to Medicare negotiation," the organization said in a statement.
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| 3. FDA to Biogen: Let's have a chat |
| On June 14, one week after the FDA gave the green light to Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm, three top FDA officials set up a virtual meeting with Biogen CEO Michel Vounatsos and R&D head Al Sandrock to talk about Aduhelm's confirmatory study, Axios Bob Herman writes. Between the lines: Remember when Vounatsos told CNBC, right after receiving approval, that Biogen had up to nine years to finish Aduhelm's confirmatory study? - He gave the impression the company was in no rush to get it done, and while FDA officials did not say exactly what was discussed at the meeting, that probably didn't sit well with the agency, Bob writes.
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| A message from UnitedHealth Group |
| UnitedHealth Group's commitment to sustainability |
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At UnitedHealth Group, sustainability is an extension of our business strategy, culture and mission to: - Help create a modern, high-performing health system.
- Foster an inclusive and diverse culture.
- Maintain strong corporate governance.
- Minimize our environmental impact.
Learn more. |
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| 4. Growing interest in psychedelics |
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| Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios |
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| Psychedelics are having a moment. Driving the news: More states are opening the door to psychedelics: Seven have passed laws to allow research on the drugs or decriminalize their use, and another 11 are considering similar measures, Axios' Marisa Fernendez reports. - Just last month, psychedelic drug developer ATAI Life Sciences, backed by Peter Thiel, went public. It's one of three developers, including MindMed and Compass Pathways, to go public in the last year.
Context: All of this comes as a growing body of research suggests psychedelic compounds with psychotherapy can be effective for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder where other therapies have failed. - It's of particular interest with the uptick in mental health and addiction concerns that occurred during the pandemic.
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| 5. A new drug-resistant threat |
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| Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios |
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| Large numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations and more immunocompromised people, in general, are fueling a global spread of a different threatening microbe: invasive fungi, Axios' Eileen Drage O'Reilly reports. What's happening: Exact numbers of fungal infections are unknown, as they are "often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed," says Tom Chiller, chief of the CDC's Mycotic Diseases Branch. Read more. |
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| 6. 🎉 Dog of the week |
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| Sadie. Photo: Patricia Reed |
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| Meet Sadie, an adorable dachshund who loves playing on the beaches of Lake Michigan. - Sadie is actually my mom's dog, and I'm featuring her so I can wish her a happy first birthday, which also happens to fall on the Fourth of July!
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| A message from UnitedHealth Group |
| Helping to create a modern, high-performing health system |
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| UnitedHealth Group is committed to expanding access to high-quality, affordable care that achieves better outcomes and enhances the health care experience. We are partnering to advance health equity and support the communities where we work and live. Learn more in our Sustainability Report. |
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