The latest dementia risk

It’s herpes simplex — aka cold sores. At any time in life. Yep, Swedish researchers found that “People who have had the herpes virus at some point in their lives are twice as likely to develop dementia compared to those who have never been infected.”

Once again, it’s a “correlation doesn’t mean causation” scenario, but that correlation part is strong. The Swedes’ conclusion is based on a study of 1,000 of their countrymen (all age 70) for 15 years, so there’s data a-plenty. What it means, though … well, that’s not clear. Next on their agenda is testing whether anti-herpes drugs might reduce the risk of dementia.

Two big cancer breakthroughs

Against breast cancer

The typical breast cancer treatment involves blocking estrogen, because the cancer needs it to spread. But that, for obvious reasons, leads to complications. So Australian researchers — being upside-down and all — tried something different. They targeted androgen receptors instead.

Specifically, they used a drug called enobosarm (which used to be called ostarine for some reason) that stimulates cells’ androgen receptors. And that, via [insert science here^*], “trigger[s] a natural defence mechanism in breast tissue.”

In a sense, instead of trying to starve the tumors (which causes all those side effects), they’re mustering the body’s troops to go on the attack.

In a test on 136 postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer…

Enobosarm showed significant anti-tumour activity and was well-tolerated by patients, without adversely affecting their quality of life or causing masculinising symptoms.

^* Here’s the paper. Knock yourself out, but it’s beyond us.

Against mesothelioma

They’re calling it “the biggest breakthrough in two decades” against mesothelioma — it quadrupled test subjects’ three-year survival rates. That’s according to the British boffins who led a major^* study of a new drug called pegargiminase (or simply ADI-PEG20 if you want to fit it on a license plate).

To be clear about the numbers: ADI-PEG20 increased the median survival rate by just 1.6 months, but quadrupled number of patients who survived to 36 months. It works with good ol’ cisplatin to deplete the body’s arginine, an amino acid that mesothelioma needs to survive.

Oh, and even better, ““Pegargiminase-based chemotherapy was well tolerated with no new safety signals.”

^* Four years, 43 cancer centers, five countries

• • •

A drug to save and arm and a leg

ICYMI: The FDA has approved the first pharmaceutical treatment for frostbite. It’s an vasodilator injection called Aurlumyn (active ingredient: iloprost), that can reduce the chance of a limb having to be amputated.

“Side effects of the new frostbite treatment include headache, flushing, heart palpitations, fast heart rate, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and hypotension,” which we think is a good trade-off for, you know, not losing a limb.

A different kind of lupus treatment

Canadian researchers have made what they think is a major breakthrough in lupus treatment. Instead of using broad immunosuppressants, they’ve developed a way to teach patients’ bodies not to attack certain proteins.

Both healthy people and those with lupus have a protein called “Sm”. The immune systems of healthy people know to leave it alone — they have immune regulators called regulatory T cells (aka T-regs) to limit the immune response. But people with lupus have a lot more of that Sm protein, and they’re also short on the T-regs that would keep their bodies from attacking it.

The Canucks figured the solution would be to 1) figure out how T-regs identify Sm, and 2) “train” the T-regs in lupus patients to do the same. Kind of like teaching soldiers to identify the friendlies they’re supposed to protect.

And that’s what they did — they found a way to program lupus patients’ T-regs “into the same powerfully protective T-regs that keep healthy people healthy.” Next step: Turn the technology into an actual testable treatment, which they hope to do in the next couple of years.

Pfizer settles anti-trust suit

Pfizer has settled a lawsuit by drug wholesalers that accused the company of conspiring with an Indian generic-drug maker to delay generic versions of Lipitor from entering the market. The company agreed to pay $93 million for the pay-to-delay shenanigans.

On the one hand, Pfizer denied any wrongdoing. On the other hand it said the settlement was “fair, reasonable, and the best way to resolve this litigation^*.”

^* “I didn’t steal the cookies, but sending me to bed without dessert is a fair and reasonable punishment.”

Sandalwood vs. cancer

Good news if you have mice with prostate cancer: Sandalwood oil — you know, the stuff that comes with your aromatherapy diffuser — appears to contain a compound that fights it. It’s another example of “olde timey treatments that actually have something to ’em.”

In this case, pharmacologists at Florida Atlantic University found that one of the many compounds in sandalwood, alpha-santalol, can convince prostate cancer cells to kill themselves. (More science-y, it “decreased the incidence of prostate tumors by decreasing cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis, without causing weight loss or any noticeable side effects.”)

Of course this is only in Petri dishes and lab mice, so you know the mantra: More research is needed.

A bone med for diabetes

Here’s an interesting correlation: People who take denosumab (aka Prolia) for osteoporosis are less likely to develop diabetes — 16% less likely, in fact, if they’re 65 and over. Such is the result of a Taiwanese cohort study of 65,500 patients over almost two years that found it was true across sexes and despite other health conditions.

“Our study suggests that when choosing anti-osteoporosis medication, physicians might also consider the potential benefit of lowering diabetes risk. This could be especially relevant for patients at high risk of diabetes or those with preexisting metabolic conditions.”

Health insurance news

Good news for Medicare enrollees

Starting next year, as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, people with Medicare Part D will have their out-of-pocket prescription drug spending capped at $2,000 per year.

That’s kind of a big deal because in 2021 about 1.5 million Americans spent more than that. In Georgia, between 2007 and 2021, something like 215,000 people spent more than $2,000 at least one year.

For those with catastrophic coverage it’s even better. Because the 5% co-pay has been removed, they’ll save big on expensive meds for serious conditions.

Preparing for climate change

There are people who believe that climate change is a conspiracy among 99.9% of the world’s climatologists. But you know who is sure it’s real? Insurance companies — specifically health insurers. The Wall Street Journal reports.

After the hottest year on record and increasingly extreme weather events, health insurers are battling to figure out how climate change is going to affect their business. The companies are building new models to reassess premiums, estimate risk and meet incoming climate reporting standards as coverage costs rise in a warming world.