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Good morning. Loyal readers may remember that in January, I donated blood for the first time, and it didn’t exactly go well. But I’m happy to say that I tried again yesterday and it was great. And then I got existential about how long ago January feels. What a year it’s been. Two weeks until Thanksgiving!
Inside Washington’s MAHA summit
There was a strange mix of bedfellows at the “Official MAHA Summit” yesterday — biotech executives like George Yancopoulos alongside conservative wellness influencers like Russell Brand, plus the vice president and a slew of federal health officials. In particular, the appearance of JD Vance signaled to attendees how important their movement is to the future of the Republican party and the administration.
“I don’t like taking medications,” Vance said, adopting the signature skepticism of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “I don’t take anything unless I absolutely have to.”
Read more from STAT’s Chelsea Cirruzzo and Daniel Payne for more details on what Vance had to say and what attendees received in their swag bags.
‘The virus is only a plane ride away’
Germany’s public health agency revealed yesterday that wild poliovirus had been detected in a sewage sample in the country. The virus likely arrived in a person infected in either Pakistan or Afghanistan, the only two countries where wild polioviruses still spread, said Mark Pallansch, a retired CDC virologist and polio expert who noted that as long as polioviruses continue to circulate anywhere, “the virus is only a plane ride away.” Paralysis occurs in only about one out of every 200 people who contract polio, so an infected but symptom-free traveler could easily serve as a vector.
The German health agency said there have been no human cases reported and rated the risk of that happening as low because of the country’s high polio vaccination rates. But this type of long-distance transmission has triggered cases elsewhere. In 2021-2022, wild polioviruses from Pakistan made their way to Southeast Africa, resulting in a case in Malawi and eight cases in Mozambique before transmission was stopped. — Helen Branswell
‘Convincing evidence’ on the link between EBV and lupus
Scientists have associated Epstein-Barr infection with the most common form of lupus in epidemiological studies in the past. But despite many theories about how the virus and autoimmune condition are connected, the exact mechanism has been unclear. New research, published in Science Translational Medicine yesterday, offers a new hypothesis: Epstein-Barr affects specific, rare B cells that drive autoimmunity.
By using sophisticated single-cell RNA sequencing tools designed to detect EBV+ B cells, investigators were able to see viral signatures that are usually invisible. They found lupus patients (11 of them) had far more of these B cells — about 25 per 10,000 B cells that were sequenced — than people in the healthy control group (10), who had about 1 per batch of 10,000 B cells.
Alberto Ascherio, who helped prove the important connection between Epstein-Barr and multiple sclerosis, said the paper “apparently fills the gap by providing convincing evidence” of how EBV activates the immune system in lupus. — Isabella Cueto
Inside Moderna’s rapid rise — and precarious future
In this week’s installment of STATus Report, reporters Jason Mast and Damian Garde discuss the “almost Forrest Gump-like entity” that is Moderna, and what could be in store for the company’s third act. Host Alex Hogan also chats with STAT Managing Editor Gideon Gil about what it was like to discover that the late, great STAT senior writer Sharon Begley had pre-written an obituary to James Watson, the controversial scientist who died last week at 97.
The Moderna conversation is based on Jason’s amazing story from late October on how the company unraveled. Watch now.
A new drug could help fight resistant malaria
Malaria infections in parts of sub-Saharan Africa are showing increasing resistance to artemisinin-based therapies, a looming threat that could make the medicines less effective against the parasite. But a new drug from Novartis — one that works in an entirely different way — showed in a clinical trial that it worked just as well as standard treatments, giving the world an alternate strategy for treating one of the leading causes of death.
“This is going to be music to the ears of sub-Saharan Africa,” said Abdoulaye Djimdé, a Malian malaria expert.
In the Phase 3 KALUMA trial, the Novartis drug, known as GanLum, cured patients at the same high rates as artemisinin-based treatments (the study was designed to make sure the new drug was not inferior to the current approaches), and was also effective against parasites that had a mutation that makes them resistant to artemisinin. There were also signs that it might be able to cut transmission of the parasite.
Sujata Vaidyanathan, the head of Novartis’ global health development unit, told reporters the company is now preparing for a regulatory submission. She said it was too early to discuss pricing, but Novartis largely sells its malaria treatments for no profit.
A key question is how GanLum should be used. The artemisinin-based medicines are still broadly working, so there shouldn’t be an immediate switchover, said George Jagoe of the Medicines for Malaria Venture. But he likened it to having a fire extinguisher on hand for when an emergency occurs — in this case, when there’s enough resistance that the current drugs stop working. — Andrew Joseph
The digital divide keeping seniors out of SNAP
As the shutdown ends, the status of SNAP remains a bit complicated. But even if things go back to normal, many older people entitled to benefits will continue to be locked out, writes policy researcher Javaid Iqbal Sofi in a new First Opinion essay. Roughly 13 million older adults qualify for SNAP, yet fewer than 4 million actually receive benefits. And Sofi believes that for many of them, technology could be the hurdle.
Enrollment in SNAP increasingly requires online applications, and new eligibility rules will create new documentation requirements that increasingly must be submitted online. For people of any age without reliable internet, smartphones, or digital skills, increasing digital requirements often block access to benefits. Read more from Sofi about the digital barriers, why “go to the library” isn’t good advice, and what can be done instead.
What we’re reading
Detransition is key to politicians’ anti-trans agenda. But what is it really like? The 19th
What the air you breathe might be doing to your brain, KFF Health News
New U.S. patent office polices may make it harder for lower-cost medicines to reach consumers, STAT
Scientists grow more hopeful about ending a global organ shortage, New York Times
First Opinion: This era of weight loss drugs requires a new kind of health platform, STAT
