Asthma meds: If at first you don’t succeed …

It’s worth it to try, try again. There are what, six different injectable biologic meds for people with severe cases? And those meds are not (Rutgers researchers stress) the same: “The practical takeaway here is pretty simple: Patients who aren’t getting good relief from a particular biologic should try others.”

Some 324 patients switched medications at least once during the study period — most commonly because their symptoms worsened on the first medication or because initially strong effects waned over time — and their strategy was rewarded, the researchers found. Switching medications was consistently associated with a reduction in exacerbations.

Covid vaccine news

As the fall approaches and with it likely another Covid surge, there’s one question out there: Do you need an Omicron-specific booster?

Probably not, according to a new CDC study — a regular mRNA booster should provide a nice bit of protection, at least against some Omicron subvariants. If the Omicron-specific shots aren’t out, or if a new sub-variant is spreading, it’s a good idea to boost to avoid serious illness.

Can’t trust those CBD labels

Over-the-counter CBD products aren’t exactly labeled accurately. Not only is the actual amount of CBD usually wrong, found Johns Hopkins researchers, many contain THC as well.

The bullet-list of what they found after buying more than 100 products at local stores:

• 15% didn’t bother listing the amount of CBD. Of the rest…
• Only 24% were accurately labeled.
  • 58% contained more CBD than advertised.
  • 18% contained less CBD than advertised.
• 35% of them contained THC (even some labeled “THC-free”), but all within the legal limit of 0.3%.
• 28% unlawfully made therapeutic claims on the label (e.g., ‘helps relieve pain’).

Does your jewelry just sit there?

Joining the mood ring someday could be the glucose necklace. The “smart necklace” developed by engineers at an Ohio State University monitors glucose levels using sweat (i.e., at this point you have to chase someone around the room before getting a reading).

It’s got a bit of a road to travel before it’ll be in stores, but the developers are already considering what other biomarkers it could monitor — or if it could be implanted rather than worn.

More reasons to avoid (long) Covid

You can add hair loss and erectile dysfunction to the list of 61 symptoms that seem to be common across cases of long Covid. British researchers, looking at health records of 2.4 million people also found some are more at risk.

The study suggests that females, younger people; or belonging to a black, mixed or other ethnic group are at greater risk of developing Long Covid. In addition, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, smokers, people who are overweight or obese, as well as the presence of a wide range of health conditions were associated with reporting persistent symptoms.

If the package don’t fit, you must remit

CMS is getting ready to implement a new law that requires drug companies to refund Medicare for some unused meds.

It’s like this: Some single-use containers have too much medicati in them, meaning Medicare is paying for meds that just get thrown out. (The drug makers cannot possibly have done that deliberately.) So the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has a provision:

Medicare Part B will continue to pay for discarded amounts from single-dose containers, but the manufacturer must pay a rebate (called a “refund”) to Medicare for discarded amounts above a specified threshold.

What’s interesting is that, unlike other rebate/discount programs (e.g., 340B or VA drug discount programs, or the Tricare retail refund program), these rebates are not part of an agreement between the companies and the government — this is a law.

Captain Obvious sits near the violins

Don’t stick your head into the horn of a tuba if the player has Covid-19. You’re likely to catch it, plus you’ll have your head in a tuba.

A study by engineers at Colorado State University found that when you blow into a brass instrument, shockingly, respiratory particles come flying out the business end.