 Health Care | Health Care |
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Pfizer's Lyme disease vaccine candidate shows promising results |
Results from a phase 3 clinical trial of Pfizer's Lyme disease vaccine candidate found it was more than 70 percent effective at preventing the illness. |
Participants in Pfizer's trial received four doses of the vaccine candidate. According to the company, there was a 73.2 percent efficacy in disease prevention 28 days after the final dose, compared with the placebo group. "Lyme disease can cause potentially serious consequences – where individuals and families face symptoms that can disrupt daily life, work, and long-term health – and there is currently no vaccine available," said Annaliesa Anderson, senior vice president and chief vaccines officer for Pfizer, in a statement. The drug is being developed as a collaboration between Pfizer and Valneva. There are currently no approved vaccines for Lyme disease in humans. Some estimates suggest there could be as many as 476,000 cases each year.
The disease is caused by the Borrelia bacteria, which are spread through tick bites. Most cases can be treated and resolved quickly with a round of antibiotics. The vaccine candidate works by targeting outer surface proteins of the Borrelia bacteria, helping a person's body create antibodies to the pathogen. Antibodies attach to bacteria inside the tick, inhibiting its ability to leave the insect. |
Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, I'm Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. |
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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A federal judge in Oregon ruled on Thursday that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. overreached in his push to restrict transgender health care for minors, according to multiple outlets. Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, an appointee of former President Biden, reportedly found Kennedy did not adhere to proper administrative procedures when he declared in December that gender-affirming health care for transgender … |
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Callers hoping to voice complaints about federal animal testing with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this week instead reached what sounded like the voicemail for a popular pizza chain after a "rogue" staffer changed the phone's outgoing message. The White Coat Waste Project (WCWP), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to "expose and close the U.S. government's $20 billion animal testing business," … |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
- The House Energy & Commerce subcommittee on health will hold a hearing Wednesday protecting communities from illicit drug threats, focusing on more than a dozen proposed bills addressing the issue from different angles.
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A MESSAGE FROM ALLIANCE FOR AGING RESEARCH |
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
Novartis settles with Henrietta Lacks' estate over use of her 'stolen' cells to advance medicine |
Novartis has settled a lawsuit by the estate of Henrietta Lacks that alleged the pharmaceutical giant unjustly profited off her cells, which were taken from her tumor without her knowledge in 1951 and reproduced in labs to enable major medical advancements, including the polio vaccine. Details of the agreement, which was finalized in federal … |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- Raw milk proponents push for fewer restrictions on Illinois sales despite state health warnings (Capitol News Illinois)
- DOGE cuts created medical record coding backlog at Reno VA, inspector general report finds (Nevada Current)
- Bill advances to protect Nebraska health care providers who recommend medical cannabis (Nebraska Examiner)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Inside the turmoil at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s C.D.C. (The New York Times)
- NIH grant terminations affected women scientists more than men, study finds (Stat)
- Rising health costs push some middle-aged adults to skip the doc until Medicare (KFF Health News)
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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