Georgia State’ nano flu vaccine

Biomedical researchers at Georgia State have taken a step toward a new kind of nasal flu vaccine — this one using nanoparticles, and causing a response in the lung’s T cells, rather than a typical antibody response. They’ve figured that to get a broad response against multiple strains, you’ve got to go through the nose.

Dear PBMs: Please don’t lie when Greg’s around

GPhA’s Greg Reybold does his thing for Georgia Public Broadcasting, pushing back against PBM … well, let’s call them “alternative truths.” In this case, it’s the PBMs saying that being transparent about their costs and payments will somehow be bad for consumers.

Greg sets ’em straight:

“It’s a mousetrap,” Reybold said. “And the more opaque it is, the more profitable it is for these actors.”

A pill for pollution

A bunch of studies lately have shown the various problems with living near air pollution — nothing surprising there. (If it was good for you, they wouldn’t call it “pollution.”) And a new Columbia University study shows the same thing … with a twist.

First, it found that even short-term exposure (e.g., from forest fires, second-hand smoke, charcoal grills) can “impede mental performance.”

The twist: Taking aspirin or another NSAID can lessen the effect.

The researchers postulate that NSAIDs, especially aspirin, may moderate neuroinflammation or changes in blood flow to the brain triggered by inhaling pollution.

And if you’re thinking, “Ooh, can aspirin boost my brain even without the pollution?” Nope. “[T]here were no direct associations between recent NSAID use and cognitive performance.”

Vaccine for teens

ICYMI, the Pfizer vaccine is probably going to be approved for 12-15 year olds early next week.

V for Vaccinated

Shout-out to Edie Grice, the Georgia Southern junior who designed a tout-your-vaccination pin that’s a lot nicer (and more permanent) than those stickers you get. Not only does it look stylish, it spreads the message: Get vaccinated.

You can buy your pin at VforVaccinatedPin.com, of course.

3-D printing personalized meds

British researchers have made a nifty kind of breakthrough: A way to 3-D print medication — pills “that have the accurate dose and drug combinations tailored to individual patients.”

The idea is that, unlike current 3-D printing techniques, this would create a porous pill. Adjust the porosity, you can adjust the rate of drug release. In fact, you can even have multiple drugs in the same physical pill.

“Such treatment approaches can particularly benefit elderly patients who often have to take many different types of medicines per day.”

As always, though, “Further research will be required.”

I always get the shakes after a shot

The latest side effect to emerge from people getting the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine: anxiety. Apparently the CDC has been getting reports of “Anxiety-Related Adverse Event Clusters” — 64 cases, including 17 where the patient fainted.

But how often did it happen? It was about 1 per of 135 people, so often enough to be noticeable.

Congress pushes back on cost sharing

When the pandemic first hit, health insurers waived cost sharing for Covid-19 treatment — no deductibles or copayments for hospital care, doctor visits, or medications.

Yeah, that was then. They’ve been quietly reinstating those consumer payments. Then Congress noticed, and some lawmakers are urging them to continue to waive those costs, at least until the pandemic is over.

“The goal of these cost waivers was always, and should always be, to encourage patients to get the healthcare they need; identifying the virus, treating its symptoms, and minimizing long-term harm to patients. Now is not the time to take our foot off the gas.”

And the insurers’ response? An Aetna spokesman said the company would “continue to make investments to help our members get and stay healthy.” In other words, he didn’t respond at all.

Acella’s Goldilocks problem

Acella is recalling 35 lots of its NP Thyroid hypothyroidism treatment after discovering the dosage were too weak.

Last May the company had to recall it because it was too strong.

In both cases, there could be serious side effects — so check the FDA page for the full list of NDC/lot numbers.

Brought to you by the letter E

Ecstasy — aka MDMA — just took a big step toward being approved for treating PTSD. It completed a phase 3 trial (the FDA will need one more) with great results.

Of the 90 people who took part in the new study […] those who received MDMA during therapy experienced a significantly greater reduction in the severity of their symptoms compared with those who received therapy and an inactive placebo.

Two months after treatment, 67 percent of participants in the MDMA group no longer qualified for a diagnosis of PTSD, compared with 32 percent in the placebo group.