TB shot is in final stage of testing

Presented by 340B Health: The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Mar 19, 2024 View in browser   By Carmen Paun, Gregory Svirnovskiy, Daniel Payne, Ruth Reader and Erin Schumaker Presented by 340B Health INNOVATORS Tuberculosis remains a relentless killer in developing countries. | AP A vaccine for tuberculosis in development for two decades has reached the final stage of clinical research, raising hope the world will see the first shot against the disease in a century. The first doses in the Phase III clinical trial for the M72/AS01E tuberculosis shot are being distributed in South Africa, the Bill and Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute said today. A nonprofit subsidiary of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates MRI sponsored the trial, which was funded by $550 million from the Gates Foundation and Wellcome, a U.K.-based philanthropy. Why it matters: The shot could help prevent pulmonary tuberculosis, the most common form of the disease, in teens and adults. More than 3,500 people died every day of tuberculosis in 2022, according to the World Health Organization, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. In South Africa, around 280,000 people are diagnosed with TB each year. People at highest risk are often living in poverty. In a Phase II trial of the vaccine conducted by GSK, the drugmaker that developed the shot, the vaccine provided approximately 50 percent protection against active pulmonary tuberculosis for three years in people infected with the tuberculosis bacteria who were HIV-negative. The result is unprecedented in decades of TB vaccine research, according to Gates MRI. “Reaching Phase III with an urgently needed TB vaccine candidate is an important moment for South Africans because it demonstrates that there is a strong local and global commitment to fight a disease that remains distressingly common in our communities,” said Dr. Lee Fairlie, director of maternal and child health at Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, who is leading the trial there. What’s next? The trial is expected to include up to 20,000 participants, including people living with HIV, at up to 60 sites in seven countries — South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Indonesia and Vietnam. The trial is expected to last up to five years.   A message from 340B Health: Support the 340B PATIENTS Act The 340B PATIENTS Act eliminates harmful big pharma restrictions on 340B savings that are vital for expanding health care and support for patients and rural communities in need. By restricting 340B pharmacy partnerships, drugmakers have siphoned billions from the health care safety net solely to bolster their profits. The 340B PATIENTS Act stops this damaging behavior. We call on Congress to support this vital legislation. Learn more.   WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE Stumpy, Washington, D.C. | Katherine Zeller This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Researchers in the U.K. are working on a device that could be inserted into a bra to monitor for breast cancer. That could help detect the disease earlier, improving chances of survival, The Independent reports. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.     A message from 340B Health:   CHECKUP Patients find a lot to like about virtual care. | Mark Lennihan/AP Photo More than 3 in 4 people surveyed by investment fund Rock Health said they had used telehealth in the past 12 months — be it for prescription refills, a minor illness or mental health care. It’s the third straight year usage rates have breached 75 percent in the Rock Health poll, suggesting the surge in virtual care that came during the pandemic is here to stay. Wide angle: Researchers surveyed 8,000 respondents. Those who used virtual care regularly trumpeted its convenience and the short wait times, among other benefits. But the convenience factors that helped make virtual care so appealing after the pandemic’s height are attracting challengers, per the report. In-person programs at grocery stores, retailers and tech-enabled care pods that can be moved from location to location aim to keep patients in the real world. “Our 2023 Survey gives strong signals that we’ve entered a new era of virtual care, where digital health is familiar and consumers are weighing their options to decide when, where and how to engage with available virtual care offerings,” the pollsters said in a statement. What’s next? The Rock Health researchers called for building trust with patients around data-sharing and demonstrating a commitment to strengthened data security.   A message from 340B Health: Support the 340B PATIENTS Act 340B hospitals are the backbone of the nation’s health care safety net, providing essential services to patients with low incomes and those living in rural America. 340B hospitals play a vital role in delivering 77% of Medicaid hospital care, providing 67% of the nation’s unpaid care, and offering comprehensive specialty services that otherwise might not be available. 340B helps lower health care costs and enable doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to provide expanded care for the benefit of their community—all at no cost to the taxpayer. The 340B PATIENTS Act will end harmful drug company restrictions on 340B savings that are vital for protecting patients and communities. By restricting 340B pharmacy partnerships, big pharma has siphoned billions from the health care safety net solely to bolster its profits. The 340B PATIENTS Act stops this damaging behavior. We call on Congress to support this vital legislation. Learn more.     JOIN US ON 3/21 FOR A TALK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY: Americans from all communities should be able to save, build wealth, and escape generational poverty, but doing so requires financial literacy. How can government and industry ensure access to digital financial tools to help all Americans achieve this? Join POLITICO on March 21 as we explore how Congress, regulators, financial institutions and nonprofits are working to improve financial literacy education for all. REGISTER HERE.     WORKFORCE Many caregivers say they feel overwhelmed. | Getty Images for SEIU The CDC has joined the fight against burnout. How so? The agency has issued a guide for hospital executives that’s part of the first federal campaign to reduce health worker burnout — in which workers feel they’re no longer motivated because of the burdens of their jobs. The guide offers advice on mitigating the stressors causing doctors and nurses to quit. The Impact Wellbeing Guide has ideas to help assess and alleviate burnout by: — Reviewing current operations — Building a team to tackle workers’ weariness — Lowering barriers for health workers to seek care — Communicating the work being done to reduce burnout — Developing long-term plans to promote well-being The guidance offers a systematic approach to improve working conditions in health systems — with employees’ input. The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health partnered with the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation to create the guide.   Easily connect with the right N.Y. State influencers and foster the right relationships to champion your policy priorities. POLITICO Pro. Inside New York. Learn more.       Follow us on Twitter Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne Ruth Reader @RuthReader Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker   Follow us

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