Healthcare & Laboratory News

Reuters (7/9, Beasley, Rigby) reports that Gilead Sciences and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced Wednesday that “they had finalized plans to supply a long-acting HIV prevention drug to low-income countries, despite the absence of funding from a key U.S. initiative aimed at addressing the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.” Gilead agreed to supply, at cost, enough doses of lenacapavir “to reach up to 2 million people over three years in countries supported by the Global Fund. Both parties said price terms are confidential, and the Global Fund declined to comment further on how many doses would be ordered immediately.” Gilead last year “signed royalty-free deals allowing six generic drugmakers to make and sell low-cost versions of the drug in 120 low- and middle-income countries, but those supplies will take time to get up and running.”

Infectious Disease Advisor (7/9, Nye) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that “nirsevimab effectively reduces the burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection among infants and young children.” The researchers selected 32 studies for the review, “of which 27 were included in the meta-analysis.” They observed that “among infants aged 12 months and younger, pooled analyses indicated nirsevimab was associated with decreased risk for RSV-related hospitalization, ICU admission, and LRTI.” Furthermore, subgroup analyses revealed that “nirsevimab more effectively reduced risk for RSV-related hospitalization in infants older than 3 months than in those aged 3 months and younger. However, the difference in risk was not significant.” The review was published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

The New York Times (7/9, Rosenbluth, Corum) reports CDC data released Wednesday reveal “there have now been more measles cases in 2025 than in any other year since the contagious virus was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000.” The data show that 1,288 people “have had a confirmed case of measles this year, 92 percent of whom were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.” Most of the cases “have been tied to the Southwest outbreak – the largest single outbreak since 2000 – which began in January in a Mennonite community in West Texas and has since jumped to New Mexico and Oklahoma.” However, cases have “also popped up in 38 states, which experts say represents a concerning vulnerability to diseases of the past.” Experts fear the US is in danger of “losing elimination status, a designation given to countries that have not had continuous spread of measles for more than a year.” The AP (7/9, Shastri) reports the CDC’s count “is 14 more than 2019, when America almost lost its status of having eliminated the vaccine-preventable illness – something that could happen this year if the virus spreads without stopping for 12 months. But the U.S. is far from 1991, when there were 9,643 confirmed cases.”

Infectious Disease Advisor (7/9, Basilio) reports a study found that “the prevalence of long COVID symptoms among adult patients was found to be relatively high 2 years following index COVID-19 infection, with female sex, obesity, and severity of initial infection identified as predictors for the emergence of common symptom clusters.” The researchers “conducted a follow-up survey of patients who participated in a population-based, longitudinal, observational study of Long COVID symptom prevalence” in 2021. Of patients who reported long COVID symptoms on the first survey, researchers said that “8.8% recovered by the follow-up survey, but 10.2% reported emerging long COVID symptoms.” The researchers “noted that the frequency of some common symptom clusters, including fatigue, neurocognitive impairment, and chest symptoms, remained relatively stable from the first survey to the follow-up survey.” The study was published in the Journal of Infection.

Parkinson’s News Today (7/9, Levinson) reports a study suggests that “genetic analysis of saliva may offer a noninvasive way to assess the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.” The researchers “found that molecular markers in saliva can reflect whole-body disease processes, suggesting the potential for early detection not only of Parkinson’s but also of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other neurological conditions.” They identified “two types of genetic markers that could be influenced by SNPs’ variations in DNA. The first type, called mSites, are spots in the genome where genetic changes may affect DNA methylation. The second type, known as eGenes, are genes whose activity levels can be influenced by genetic variations.” Regarding Parkinson’s disease, researchers “found three mSites in saliva that may be linked to disease risk. When the data were analyzed by sex, even more potential markers appeared: 16 mSites in women and 10 in men. While no eGenes were linked to Parkinson’s overall, the team did identify one sex-specific eGene in men and another in women.” The study was published in npj Genomic Medicine.

HCP Live (7/8, Brooks) reports a study suggests that “pediatric patients with guttate or inverse psoriasis may warrant evaluation for pharyngeal or anogenital bacterial infections – even if asymptomatic. Additionally, while bacteria like Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus were commonly isolated, treating the infection did not significantly alter psoriasis outcomes.” For the study, “a total of 166 unique patients with psoriasis/psoriasiform dermatitis and suspected pharyngeal and/or anogenital infection met the inclusion criteria.” Researchers observed that “35 patients (21%) had a positive pharyngeal culture only, 53 (32%) had a positive anogenital culture only, and 6 patients (4%) had both positive cultures.” They also noted that “inverse psoriasis was significantly more common in patients with a positive anogenital culture than in those with a positive pharyngeal culture...or a negative pharyngeal and/or anogenital culture.” The study was published in Pediatric Dermatology.

American Journal of Managed Care (7/8, Bonavitacola) reports a study found that the Trump Administration’s freeze in President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding “could result in tens of thousands of deaths in sub-Saharan Africa based on a simulated model, displaying the impact that such funding can have in areas that need it most.” Utilizing the STDSIM model, researchers projected a full implementation of the executive order in two groups “where the proportional scenario estimated the number of people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) affected is proportional to the PEPFAR share of the total HIV budget, and the realistic scenario focuses on the critical components of PEPFAR funds in the treatment delivery system.” Researchers observed that “the mortality related to HIV was estimated to be 36,000 by 2030 in the scenario where funding is not paused. The realistic scenario related to the executive order estimated 44,000 deaths, and the proportional scenario estimated 42,000 deaths.” The study was published in eClinicalMedicine.

Scleroderma News Today (7/8, Bryson) reports that in a study, researchers “identified four distinct subtypes of systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD), each characterized by different clinical characteristics.” The research team then “analyzed outcomes for each subtype and found differing survival rates and factors associated with mortality, which may help better predict and improve patient outcomes.” In cluster 1, “skin involvement was the most common clinical sign” among patients, and lung function was “generally better than in the other clusters.” Patients in cluster 2 “had a higher proportion of men and a longer disease duration than the other clusters. Lung function was poorer,” and “nearly all patients in this group had traction bronchiectasis.” Meanwhile, patients in cluster 3 “tested negative for anti-SCL-70 antibodies, but they more commonly tested positive for RF antibody.” As for cluster 4, the disease duration “was significantly shorter than in the other clusters, with all testing positive for anti-SCL-70 antibodies.” The study was published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine.

MedPage Today (7/7, Robertson) reports, “A multilevel intervention involving parent nudges and clinician reports increased human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for most children, though not for some of the most marginalized, a post hoc analysis of a cluster randomized trial found.” Researchers observed that “vaccine initiation increased significantly for most children with the intervention except for Black children, and those living in rural settings or in highest deprivation areas by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI).” Furthermore, they found that “vaccine completion also increased significantly for most children, except for those in the highest ADI deprivation quartile.” Researchers concluded, “Our findings indicate that mailing reminder letters to parents and monthly reports to healthcare professionals can improve human papillomavirus vaccination among 11- to 12-year-olds.” The analysis was published in JAMA Network Open.

Reuters (7/7, Le Poidevin, Khaled) reports that the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières “warn that conditions in Gaza after 21 months of war between Israel and Hamas have increased the risks of meningitis spreading, though they lack clear comparative data to measure the severity of recent outbreaks.” Although there is typically “a seasonal increase in viral meningitis cases in Gaza between June and August,” the WHO is “investigating the role of additional factors such as poor sanitation, limited access to healthcare, and disruption of routine vaccinations.” Physicians also fear “that vitamin deficiencies and weakened immunity – resulting from limited access to fresh vegetables and protein – are increasing children’s vulnerability.” Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said, “There’s been a rise in meningitis cases in children. We are very concerned.”