December 19, 2014
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
Many patients expect antibiotics even when they likely won’t help an infection, according to a study published this week co-authored by CDDEP fellow Eili Klein. The paper was the first to apply fuzzy trace theory to antibiotic use, which predicts that patient decisions are made by a simple, bottom-line understanding of information they’ve received. In this case, patients frequently decided that even if their infection couldn’t be treated with antibiotics, the risks weren’t significant enough to warrant not taking them. [Medical Decision Making]
CDDEP director Ramanan Laxminarayan was interviewed for Deutsche Welle (DW) this week about Indian antibiotic use policies. The interview covered recent CDDEP research on the magnitude of the problem of antibiotic resistance in India; antibiotic use has increased 68 percent in a decade in the country, and 58,000 infants die annually from resistant infections. [DW English]
The United States Senate confirmed the appointment of Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Monday. The confirmation came over a year after Murthy’s initial nomination by President Obama; the process had been blocked repeatedly by Senate Republicans who criticized Murthy’s views on gun control. [Reuters]
E-cigarettes have surpassed traditional cigarettes as the most popular form of tobacco amongst American teenagers, according to the results of a survey from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which found 17.1 percent of US 12th graders had used an e-cigarette in the last year. Another CDC report from last week found the inhaled vapor products are currently available for minors to buy in 10 states and the District of Columbia. The NIDA report also found stable rates of marijuana use and noted decreases in both alcohol and prescription drug abuse in teens. [National Institute on Drug Abuse]
An experimental Ebola vaccine study has been halted because patients were experiencing joint pain, though representatives carrying out the trial in Geneva say such reactions aren’t uncommon. Another study published this week found 53 drugs currently approved for other medical uses that could have potential to treat Ebola. [The New York Times, Emerging Microbes and Infections]
The Indian government has created new price caps for 52 essential drugs as part of a larger policy effort to increase affordability of critical medicines. The additions, including some painkillers and antibiotics, join a list of more than 400 currently price-capped drug therapies. [Reuters]
The discovery of a new antibody class may aid the search for a universal dengue vaccine, according to research published this week by scientists at Imperial College London. The class of antibodies can render all four strains of the dengue virus non-infectious and could have important ramifications for combating the disease that has spread across the globe in recent years. [Nature Immunology]
A new report and interactive map categorizess US states by their disease outbreak readiness; zero states scored higher than eight out of ten possible points in the preparedness metric, and half received fewer than five points. The report, done by the Trust for America’s Health, noted key gaps in vaccination coverage, healthcare-associated infections and sexually-transmitted infection treatment and prevention. [Trust for America’s Health]
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