Health

Fight to Eradicate Dengue Fever Faces Another Setback

Published

7 years ago

December 27, 2017

Bchcomber

–

Dengue fever is the world’s most pernicious mosquito-borne virus, afflicting as many as 400 million people a year — making the latest setback in the effort to stop the scourge all the more frustrating.

The vaccine Sanofi spent more than two decades and $1.8 billion developing should be given only to people who have already been infected with the virus pending a full safety review, the World Health Organization said last month.

That’s raising the stakes for vaccine candidates from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Both products are in end-stage clinical trials, and developers are hoping to avoid the problems that caused Sanofi to cut the value of its vaccine inventory last month.

People who have never had dengue before being immunized with the Paris company’s Dengvaxia shot had a greater risk of developing severe disease if they were later infected naturally, an analysis of six years of data showed.

“It’s a real fly in the ointment for everything that’s ahead,” said Cameron Simmons, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Melbourne, who was involved in early Dengvaxia research and studies dengue at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. “The next generation of vaccines is going to take longer. The hoops to demonstrate safety are going to be more stringent.”

Besides Dengvaxia, which is approved for use in 19 countries, there are no other licensed vaccines or specific medicines to fight dengue, and efforts to control its mosquito vector haven’t stopped the virus extending its reach from the tropics of Asia and the Americas to southern France and Madeira, Portugal.

Almost 400 million infections occur worldwide annually, Simmons and colleagues estimated in 2013, and there’s been a 30-fold increase in the number of cases over the past 50 years, according to the World Health Organization.

“We recently received disappointing clinical news on Dengvaxia, which will constrain the outlook for the vaccine,” Sanofi Chief Executive Officer Olivier Brandicourt told analysts recently.

Dengue is caused by one of four distinct strains, or serotypes, of dengue virus that typically cause a sudden onset of fever, as well as headache, rash and muscle aches and pains so severe that the disease is known as breakbone fever. In a small subset of cases, sufferers can develop potentially fatal bleeding and shock.

Severe dengue is thought to occur more frequently from subsequent infections caused by a serotype different from the one that caused the initial illness, due to a phenomenon known as antibody-dependent enhancement. A similar pattern may occur in some vaccinated people, researchers Scott Halstead and Philip Russell wrote in a review paper last year.

Dengvaxia, which is administered in a three-shot regimen over 12 months, is what is known as a chimeric vaccine, one that uses components of all four dengue serotypes on a yellow fever vaccine backbone. Takeda’s experimental two-shot immunization uses a dengue serotype-2 backbone on which components of the three other serotypes are attached.

Immunization with that vaccine may expose the body’s immune cells to additional parts of the dengue virus that may elicit broader adaptive immune responses, according to a paper published in the journal Science last month.

An independent data-monitoring committee evaluating its safety hasn’t raised any concerns and studies so far show the vaccine achieves sustained responses to all four serotypes regardless of previous dengue exposure, said Rajeev Venkayya, president of Takeda’s vaccines unit. Results are slated late for 2018, the company said last month.

“We are very confident in the program, and that confidence has not changed at all in light of the most recent news about Sanofi’s Dengvaxia,” Venkayya said in an interview. “We are fully committed.”

The Philippines halted its Dengvaxia immunization program pending a review and consultation with groups including the World Health Organization, the country’s health department said on Dec. 1.

Analysts at Credit Suisse have cut their peak sales estimates for Dengvaxia to $10 million from $300 million, seeing a serious impact on its potential in nationwide vaccination programs, even in countries at high risk of dengue.

Sanofi said the vaccine had sales of just $26 million in the first nine months of the year, citing a difficult political and economic environment among other factors.

Even so, the company said it is committed to reducing the threat of dengue and it will continue monitoring the long-term impact of vaccination while investing in reliable, rapid and cost-effective tests to support the use of vaccines.

The next generation of dengue vaccines are expected to be superior to Dengvaxia and provide broader protection, yet it’s unclear whether it will correct the problems Sanofi has encountered, said Duane Gubler, professor emeritus at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.

The National Institutes of Health-produced vaccine, which requires a single shot, is being evaluated in an advanced trial in Brazil that is due to wind up next May.

A partially effective Dengvaxia, meanwhile, can still be a useful weapon, said Gubler, who wrote the main medical text on dengue in 1997 and is a Takeda vaccine patent holder.

“One thing we’ve learned is that cellular immunity is going to be a lot more important than we thought it was,” he said. Given the difficulty in developing a dengue vaccine with balance for all four strains, another “lesson is that we should not wait until we get the perfect vaccine before we introduce them.”

By James Paton is a Bloomberg writer
Email: [email protected]

Health

Report Causes Pfizer Stock to Climb Approximately $1 Billion Acquired by Starboard

Published

2 months ago

October 7, 2024

Salman

(VOR News) – According to a rumor that activist investor Pfizer Starboard Value has taken a holding in the struggling pharmaceutical business that is expected to be worth around one billion dollars, the stock of Pfizer (PFE) is on the increase in premarket trading on Monday.

This comes after the report was made public. The report was made available to the general public following this. Starboard Value was successful in moving forward with the acquisition of the position.

Starboard is said to have approached Ian Read, a former chief executive officer of Pfizer, and Frank D’Amelio, a former chief financial officer, in order to seek assistance with its goals of boosting the performance of the company, according to the Wall Street Journal. Read and D’Amelio are both former Pfizer executives.

The purpose of this is to facilitate the accomplishment of its objectives, which include enhancing the overall performance of the firm.

In their previous jobs, D’Amelio and Read were chief financial officers.

It is stated in the report that the hedge fund is of the opinion that Pfizer, which is currently being managed by Albert Bourla, who succeeded Read as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2019, does not demonstrate the same level of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) discipline that Read did. Bourla took over for Read in 2019. Read was succeeded by Bourla in the year 2019.

Pfizer, a multinational pharmaceutical conglomerate, has made substantial investments in the acquisition of more companies that are involved in the research and development of cancer medicines.

These businesses have been acquired for billions of dollars. The biotechnology company Seagen, which was acquired by Pfizer in the previous year for a price of $43 billion, is included in this category. One of the businesses that can be classified as belonging to this category is Seagen.

In spite of the fact that the S&P 500 Index experienced a 21% increase in 2024.

No major trading occurred in Pfizer stock that year.

Due to the fact that the demand for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines fell after the firm reached its pandemic peak in 2021, the share price of the corporation has decreased by over fifty percent since that time.

This drop has occurred ever since the company’s shares reached their maximum peak, which was during the time that this decline occurred. Not only have they not changed at all, but they have also remained essentially stable. This is in contrast to the S&P 500, which has gained 21% since the beginning of this year.

Recently, the corporation was forced to take a hit when it decided to recall all of the sickle cell illness medications that it had distributed all over the world.

Fears that the prescription could lead patients to experience severe agony and possibly even death were the impetus for the decision to recall the product. In spite of the fact that Pfizer’s stock is increasing by almost three percent as a result of the news that followed the company’s decision, this is the circumstance that has come about.

SOURCE: IPN

Health

New Study Reveals Drinking Soda Pop Increases the Risk of Stroke

Published

2 months ago

October 6, 2024

VORNews

If you drink too much soda, fruit juice and coffee, beware!

A recent report from global research indicates that excessive consumption of coffee or soda pop is associated with an increased risk of stroke, although the intake of black and green tea is correlated with a reduced risk. Excessive consumption of soda pop or coffee warrants caution!

Recent research indicates that it may substantially elevate the risk of stroke.

Consuming four cups of coffee daily elevates the risk of stroke, according to studies, although ingesting 3-4 cups of black or green tea daily typically offers protection against stroke. Additionally, consume more coffee; it may reduce your risk of mortality.

Recent findings from global research studies co-led by the University of Galway and McMaster University, alongside an international consortium of stroke researchers, indicate that soda, encompassing both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened variants such as diet or zero sugar, is associated with a 22 percent heightened risk of stroke. The risk escalated significantly with the consumption of two or more of these beverages daily.

Stroke Risk Fizzy Drinks and Soda Pop

The correlation between fizzy drinks consumption and stroke risk was most pronounced in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Women exhibit the most elevated risk of stroke from bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage) associated with fruit juice beverages. Consuming over 7 cups of water daily diminishes the likelihood of stroke due to a clot.

Researchers observed that numerous items advertised as fruit juice are derived from concentrates and have added sugars and preservatives, potentially negating the advantages often associated with fresh fruit and instead elevating stroke risk.

Fruit juice beverages were associated with a 37 percent heightened risk of stroke resulting from bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage). Consuming two of these beverages daily increases the risk thrice.

Consuming over four cups of coffee daily elevates the risk of stroke by 37 percent, although lower consumption levels do not correlate with stroke risk. Conversely, tea consumption was associated with an 18-20 percent reduction in stroke risk. Additionally, consuming 3-4 cups daily of black tea, such as Breakfast and Earl Grey varieties, excluding green and herbal teas, was associated with a 29 percent reduced risk of stroke.

Consuming 3-4 cups of green tea daily was associated with a 27 percent reduction in stroke risk. Notably, the addition of milk may diminish or inhibit the advantageous effects of antioxidants present in tea. The lower risk of stroke associated with tea consumption was negated for individuals who added milk.

Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for informational reasons and should not be considered a replacement for professional medical counsel. Consistently consult your physician regarding any inquiries pertaining to a medical problem.

Starbucks Faces Sales Decline Amid Price Fatigue and Rising Competition

Starbucks Faces Sales Decline Amid Price Fatigue and Rising Competition

Health

Following a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer, What Else Should You Know?

Published

2 months ago

October 5, 2024

Salman

(VOR News) – Even though breast cancer affects one in eight American women, receiving a diagnosis can make a woman feel isolated.

Experts in breast cancer from the American College of Physicians (ACS) advise patients on how to manage their disease so that they may better cope with this awful information.

First, the kind and stage of breast cancer dictates the course of your care.

In addition to immunotherapy and chemotherapy, there are various surgical options available for the treatment of breast cancer.

Women of African descent are disproportionately affected by triple-negative breast cancer, an extremely aggressive form of the disease that has never proven easy to treat.

According to the American Cancer Society, pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an immunotherapy, has been shown to be helpful when combined with chemotherapy and is currently the recommended course of treatment for certain combinations of triple-negative breast cancer.

In her presentation, Dr. Katharine Yao said, “It’s really important that the patient and physician discuss the patient’s preferences and values when deciding what type of treatment to pursue and that they have an honest, individualized discussion with their care team.”

She is currently responsible for developing breast cancer treatment recommendations for more than 575 hospitals and institutions nationwide in her role as chair of the American College of Surgeons’ National Accreditation Program for Breast Institutions (NAPBC).

Yao, vice chair of research at Endeavor Health NorthShore Hospitals in New York, pointed out that each decision made about a patient’s treatment plan should take her preferences and diagnosis into consideration.

She ought to think about whether she would prefer a mastectomy—a surgical procedure that involves removing the entire breast with or without reconstruction—or a lumpectomy, which involves a surgical procedure that spares part of the breast tissue.

She stated that “the breast cancer you have may be very different from the breast cancer you hear about in your neighbor, colleague, or friend” in a press release issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS).

“Consider that while discussing breast cancer with others.”

Throughout your journey, it is critical that you look after your emotional health because having breast cancer may have a detrimental impact on your mental health.

“Getting a cancer diagnosis does not mean that everything in your life stops to be normal.” Director of the Fellowship in the Diseases of the Breast program at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas and state head of the American Cancer Society Commission on Cancer for Arkansas, Dr. Daniela Ochoa She thinks adding the burden of a cancer diagnosis and treatment to all the other pressures in life may be taxing.

“Managing stress and emotional health is vital component of a treatment plan.”

Ochoa recommends clinically trained psychologists and social workers who have assisted people in coping with cancer to anyone receiving treatment. Learning coping techniques might also be facilitated by joining cancer support groups or cancer wellness initiatives.

Breast cancer specialists say your care team is crucial.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) defines comprehensive care as having support at every stage of the procedure from surgeons, oncologists, patient navigators, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and other specialists.

After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, women should see a surgeon or medical oncologist to explore their options; nevertheless, treatment shouldn’t be discontinued after just one appointment or after surgery is over.

Additionally, you can ask trustworthy friends or family members to accompany you to appointments and aid you with research or notes. They could serve as a network of support for you.

Yao stated in his talk that “one of the most important things is that patients should search out a team they have confidence in, that they trust will have their back when they need it, and a team they feel they can get access to and that will help them when they are in need.”

SOURCE: MP