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Review finds too few innovative drugs in antibiotic development pipeline

A new review of the antibiotic development pipeline finds that there are relatively few clinically differentiated products in late-stage clinical development, especially against critical, multidrug-resistant pathogens, an international team of researchers reported yesterday in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Federally qualified centers helped address COVID vaccine gaps: report

US Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) have been critical to providing COVID-19 vaccinations to low-income and racial minority populations, finds a study yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

Study highlights inappropriate prescribing for respiratory infections

A study of 42 million US patient visits for antibiotic-inappropriate acute respiratory infections (ARIs) found that more than 10% received an antibiotic prescription, with providers in urgent care clinics and southern states among the most likely prescribers, US researchers reported this week in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

US COVID vaccination may have saved 240,000 lives in first 6 months

The US COVID-19 vaccination program may have averted 14 million infections, saved more than 240,000 lives, and prevented upwards of 1.1 million hospitalizations in the first half of 2021, according to estimates from a modeling study yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

Omicron likely less susceptible to antibodies from vaccinated people

Austrian scientists writing in a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine yesterday demonstrate poor neutralization of the Omicron variant when using serum from vaccinated or recovered COVID-19 patients, potentially signaling a need for variant-specific vaccines.

CRISPR-based E coli drug gets go-ahead for first human trial

Danish microbiome technology company SNIPR Biome ApS announced this week that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the company's application to initiate the first human clinical trial of its CRISPR-based drug for preventing Escherichia coli infections in cancer patients.

Mixed results in trial of fosfomycin for bacterimic urinary tract infections

A randomized clinical trial found that fosfomycin did not demonstrate noninferiority to comparator antibiotics for bacteremic urinary tract infections (bUTIs) caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli, but it could remain an option for select patients, researchers reported yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

Insurers may be spending $130 million on ivermectin for COVID-19

Needless insurer spending on ivermectin prescriptions for COVID-19, estimated at $2.5 million in the United States for the week of Aug 13, 2021—the most recent week analyzed—would extrapolate to $130 million annually, US researchers reported yesterday in JAMA.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Study suggests 3 Pfizer vaccine doses may protect against Omicron

Today a study from Germany published in Science shows three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine raised antibody levels against the highly transmissible Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant.

US detects H5N1 avian flu in wild duck as Europe, Africa note more H5N1

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Jan 14 announced that highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza was detected in a wild wigeon in South Carolina, marking the first time the Eurasian strain of the virus has been detected in the United States since 2016.

The finding follows the recent detection of high-path H5N1 in wild birds and poultry in Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador region.

More seniors may have become homebound during COVID-19, study says

The number of older adults who are homebound (leaving home once a week or less) increased in 2020 over the prior decade, according to a research letter yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine. The researchers say that this could affect social, psychological, and physical needs because of factors such as physical distancing and caretaker or telehealth access.

Two US Salmonella outbreaks linked to Italian-style meats

Two US outbreaks of Salmonella, one S Typhimurium and the other S Infantis, have been linked to Italian-style meats, although none are connected to a specific product or brand yet, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigation notice today.

Youth substance use was stable in early pandemic, study says

Substance use among US kids 10 to 14 years old remained relatively stable during the first 6 months of the pandemic, according to longitudinal study results published yesterday in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Rates of US veteran suicidal thoughts dipped slightly during COVID-19

US veteran suicide ideation (SI) rates showed a slight decrease during the first year of the pandemic, according to a JAMA Psychiatry study yesterday. Among the associated risks, however, was having COVID-19, which doubled the odds of SI.

Study indicates stewardship helped reduce pediatric vancomycin use

A quality improvement (QI) program combining clinician education, clear and concise recommendations, and decision support was associated with a safe reduction in vancomycin use in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), researchers reported today in Pediatrics.

COVID-19 infection tied to much higher clot risk than vaccination

The risk of blood clots is higher following COVID-19 infection than after vaccination, researchers based at Oxford University reported today in BMJ.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Study indicates stewardship helped reduce pediatric vancomycin use

A quality improvement (QI) program combining clinician education, clear and concise recommendations, and decision support was associated with a safe reduction in vancomycin use in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), researchers reported today in Pediatrics.

World Economic Forum warns of future risk, costs from waterborne AMR

A new report from the World Economic Forum predicts a future of rising risks and costs from waterborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Antibody combo lowers hospitalizations in high-risk COVID-19 patients

High-risk adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who receive a dose of casirivimab and imdevimab have lower hospitalization rates than those who don't, according to a randomized, controlled trial today in The Lancet's EClinicalMedicine. The casirivimab and imdevimab combination is under emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Survey: Those with minor symptoms more likely to OK delayed antibiotics

Severity and the type of symptoms experienced appear to be the biggest factors in accepting a delayed antibiotic prescription for a respiratory tract infection (RTI), according to a UK survey published yesterday in PLOS Medicine.

COVID vaccine doses may have weaker effect in immune-compromised

After two doses of an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, nearly 90% of immunocompromised patients had an antibody response, but it was about as third as strong as those with healthy immune systems, according to data published in the Annals of Internal Medicine yesterday.

Pre-hospital antiplatelet therapy linked to lower COVID-19 death rates

Pre-hospital antiplatelet therapy, most commonly aspirin, was associated with significantly lower in-hospital mortality rates for COVID-19 patients, according to a study this week in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Vietnamese study finds benefits from CRE screening in newborns

Admission screening for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) at a Vietnamese children's hospital was associated with reduced CRE acquisition, hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), duration of hospital stay, and costs, according to a study published this week in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control.

Baricitinib reduces deaths in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

The rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib was shown to reduce mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, according to a randomized, controlled trial published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine yesterday. Baricitinib acts as a Janus kinases inhibitor and is under emergency use authorization to treat severe COVID-19 by the US Food and Drug Administration.