🦠 Axios Vitals: Subvariant summer

Plus, senators tap brakes on insulin caps | Friday, July 08, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By PhRMA   Axios Vitals By Tina Reed · Jul 08, 2022 🌞 Happy Friday, Vitals readers. Today's newsletter is 875 words or a 3.5-minute read. Situational awareness: President Biden is expected to take executive action today to protect access to abortion, sources tell the Associated Press.     1 big thing: The summer of subvariants Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios   As this summer heats up, so has the spread of the hot new version of COVID-19. Why it matters: This subvariant of Omicron called BA.5 — the most transmissible subvariant yet — quickly overtook previous strains to become the dominant version circulating in the U.S. and much of the world. BA.5 is so transmissible — and different enough from previous versions — that even those with immunity from prior Omicron infections may not have to wait long before falling ill again. What they're saying: "I had plenty of friends and family who said: 'I didn't want to get it but I'm sort of glad I got it because it's out of the way and I won't get it again,'" Bob Wachter, chairman of the University of California, San Francisco Department of Medicine, told Axios. "Unfortunately, that doesn't hold the way it once did." "Even this one bit of good news people found in the gloom, it's like, 'Sorry,'" Wachter said. State of play: This week, the CDC reported that BA.5 became the dominant variant in the U.S., accounting for nearly 54% of total COVID cases. Studies show extra mutations in the spike protein make the strain three or four times more resistant to antibodies, though it doesn't appear to cause more serious illness. Hospital admissions are starting to trend upward again, CDC data shows, though they're still well below what was seen during the initial spread of Omicron. Yes, but: "I'm certainly hearing about more reinfections and more fairly quick reinfections than at any other time in the last two and a half years," Wachter said. The big picture: Another summertime wave of cases could prolong the pandemic, coming after many public health precautions were lifted and with available vaccines losing their efficacy against the ever-evolving virus. Go deeper.     2. Americans split on COVID response Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   Americans remain sharply divided over most aspects of the pandemic response but appear confident the health system can withstand another global emergency, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim writes about a new Pew Research Center report. Why it matters: The public remains conflicted over what's worked, which could pose big challenges to officials managing new COVID-19 surges and stoke political rancor ahead of the midterm elections. The big picture: Pew said the partisan gaps over the effectiveness of the pandemic response are as wide as any point since the outbreak took hold. 75% of Democrats say COVID-19 vaccines have been extremely or very effective at limiting the spread of the coronavirus while 39% of Republicans say the shots have been not too or not at all effective. Yes, but: But 59% of respondents say they have either a great deal or some confidence in the U.S. health care system to handle a future global health emergency. One bipartisan concern: 62% of respondents and majorities of both Republicans and Democrats say the country has given too little priority to K-12 students' needs — a sign of lingering concern about academic progress when deciding whether to keep schools open for in-person instruction.     3. Senators want to tap brakes on insulin price caps Photo: Joan Slatkin/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images   Five Republican senators are warning against fast-tracking a bill to cap insulin costs, saying its "far-ranging implications" merit congressional hearings and a more extensive discussion, Adriel writes. Why it matters: It could be a serious hurdle to bipartisan efforts to limit out-of-pocket costs for more than 37 million Americans with diabetes. Flashback: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last month indicated he wanted to schedule a floor vote on the bill from Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) "very soon." That's not sitting well with some Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee, who say they want a chance to hear from experts, debate the legislation and potentially amend it in the committee. "As with most proposals regarding drug pricing, their proposed changes involve trade-offs and far-ranging implications, which both deserve frank discussion," the senators wrote to top lawmakers on the Finance panel. The letter was signed by Pat Toomey, John Barrasso, Steve Daines, Rob Portman and Ben Sasse, who could be instrumental in getting the bill through the chamber.     A message from PhRMA Tell Congress savings belong to patients — not insurers' PBMs     Did you know that only three insurance company PBMs control 80% of the prescription drug market? Here's why: They use their market power to get tens of billions in rebates and discounts that should be going to patients. Those savings belong to patients.     4. Pic du jour Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images   Sandra Lindsay, a New York nurse who was the first person in the U.S. to get the COVID vaccine, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom yesterday.     5. Catch up quick 🩸 Sunny Balwani, the former president and chief operating officer of the scandal-ridden blood-testing company Theranos, was found guilty of 12 counts of conspiracy and fraud. (Axios) 💰 The Biden administration yesterday released a proposed Medicare physician fee schedule for 2023 that would result in the second year of phased-in cuts to some specialties. The biggest reductions would be for radiology, nuclear medicine and vascular surgery, per a Cowen research note. (Release) 💉 Children under the age of 5 are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at a slower rate than other age groups. (Axios) 👀 A House committee is launching an investigation into companies' handling of reproductive health data in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade. (Axios)     6. Dog of the week Finn. Photo: Kelsey Richards   Meet Finn, a five-month-old miniature dachshund who lives with his millennial parents in Philadelphia. "He's chatty by way of whining and squeaking, often demanding to be held, and is happiest taking a nap on your lap," says his human Kelsey Richards. "He'll also run after tennis balls in a comical hopping motion due to his short legs keeping his parents thoroughly entertained."     A message from PhRMA Tell Congress savings belong to patients — not insurers' PBMs     Did you know that only three insurance company PBMs control 80% of the prescription drug market? Here's why: They use their market power to get tens of billions in rebates and discounts that should be going to patients. Those savings belong to patients.   Whoops! Yesterday we told you about some interesting research going on in the realm of pet health with a story from Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson about a biobank for dogs and cats — but didn't give the link. You can find the story here. Why stop here? Let's go Pro. 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