When most people think of health care right now, theyre thinking about the hospitals and critical care units that are scrambling to care for COVID-19 patients. But a large swath of the private health care sector is scrambling, too, looking for ways to treat illnesses and injuries that have nothing to do with the new coronavirus.

Louisianas stay-at-home order has prohibited all non-urgent medical services, delivering a big financial hit to the thousands of private doctors in the Baton Rouge area who can no longer see most of their patients.

Our goal is we want to keep people from having to go to the ER or an urgent care, so they dont get exposed or overwhelm the health care centers, says Dr. Linsey Hall of the Dermatology Clinic in Baton Rouge.

The clinic is currently seeing only about 15% of the amount of its regular patient base, she says. That drop stands to have a significant effect on the clinic.

Our livelihood is seeing patients, Hall says.

The clinic is continuing to pay its more than 60 employees while working with only a small, rotating crew of essential personnel and following social distancing protocols, she says.

Medical offices still operating are implementing the recommended screenings for the patients that do come through their doors, checking for any COVID-19 symptoms, practicing social distancing and using protective equipment.

Our hospital partners are counting on us to help provide care and catch the patients who may have otherwise gone directly to the ER, NeuroMedical Center CEO Ben Boudreaux says.

For patients with intractable pain, neurological conditions like MS, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, or epilepsy, it is crucial that they receive a continuation of medical services, he says.

We do not want their conditions to deteriorate throughout this period, nor do we want them to experience any undue pain, Boudreaux says.

Dr. John Brantley at Calais Dermatology Associates says despite a loss in business, he has no plans to shut down. Hes looking to small business grant programs in the new federal stimulus package to help him get staff back to work more quickly when restrictions lift.

BR Orthopedics General Manager Trey Williamson says they see about 10% to 15% of their normal surgical caseload and just 20% to 25% of their in-clinic visits.

Really in our world, a lot of what we do is elective, Williamson says. So they have to postpone cases for 30 days while they wait on new guidance from the department of health.

For the cases that cant wait, the group created a sub-specialty committee to review each case to determine if it should go forward.

While theyve considered layoffs and furloughs, BR Orthopedics has retained all full-time staff and is still generating some delayed revenue as insurance payments come closer to the 30-day mark from last months appointments, he says.

The Dermatology Clinic, NeruoMedical, Calais and BR Orthopedic have all turned to telemedicine to keep patientsand incomeflowing. That could signal a permanent shift in how health care is provided in the long term. But telemedicine, too, takes manpower, Hall says.

While the clinic has talked about using telemedicine before, this is the first time its been implemented at the Dermatology Clinic, Hall says.

The NeuroMedical Center Clinic launched comprehensive telemed services this week, already reporting patient counts near 200. Brantley, too, launched his telemedicine platform just yesterday through an expedited program. BR Orthopedics had used telemed before, but expanded it this week at a much higher level, Williamson says.

As people start to talk about recovery, questions have arisen about when these private doctors will be able to return to work.

Certainly there are discussions about when we can get back to work where it wont be a huge burden on public health, or the safety of patients, or the safety of the community in general, Williamson says.

Yet, with such a new virus and no vaccine, older people are really afraid of this problem and rightfully so, Brantley says, adding that could have lingering effects.

When next years Mardi Gras rolls around, he says, you wont see a Mardi Gras like people are used to seeing.

Read more:

How private medicine is dealing with coronavirus restrictions - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

WHOs new user guide for countries, Selection of medicines at country level, is based on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. It sets out the key actions countries should undertake to develop and update their own national essential medicines lists based on the treatment needs of their populations and their capacity to reimburse payments for medicines.

The document also aims to support countries in progressing towards universal health coverage. Today, approximately half of the worlds population is unable to access essential medicines. The large majority of these people live in poorer countries, but rising prices of new medicines are also becoming a challenge for health systems in wealthy countries.

A careful selection of essential medicines is the first step in ensuring a population can obtain the quality-assured medicines it needs at an affordable price. Countries need to do more to ensure that all people and communities can access highly effective medicines. WHOs new manual is a resource to do just that.

The document, intended for policy makers in charge of national medicines and reimbursement lists, aims to increase transparency on how essential medicines are selected. Most national lists of essential medicines have several differences when compared with WHOs model list, which lists only medicines of proven safety and efficacy. Some national lists include medicines that bring little extra benefit to patients. Decision-makers should refer to the WHO global list to gauge the public health value of listing certain medicines for their populations.

Essential medicines are:

The essential medicines concept is global and forward-looking. It incorporates the need to regularly update medicines selections to reflect new therapeutic options and changing therapeutic needs; the need to ensure drug quality; and the need for continued development of better medicines, medicines for emerging diseases and medicines to meet changing resistance patterns.

Achieving universal health coverage and equity in public health depends on access to essential, high-quality and affordable health related technologies for all. To achieve access for all by 2030, at least two billion more people will need to have access to essential health services by 2030.

In an effort to make the Model List of Essential Medicines more readily accessible, WHO recently developed an electronic version of the list, bringing the traditional EML to computer screens, tablets and smartphones in a freely accessible, downloadable, online database.

Link to manual: Selection of essential medicines at country level

Link to e-EML:Model List of Essential Medicines

Visit link:

New WHO Guide to help countries expand access to essential medicines - World Health Organization

Just last Friday, Lainey wondered if Jeremy Renner would release a new song since hes claiming in court the corona crash is affecting his ability to make child support payments. WELL GUESS WHAT? Jeremy Renner has, indeed, released a new song; in fact, he has released a whole new EP called The Medicine. The lead single is also called The Medicine, and other songs on the EP include Never Sorry, Ghost and Roses,Every Woman, Best Part of Me,and December Days.Now we know how Jeremy Renner has been spending his self-quarantine: he has been preparing the healing salve of his music for the world. This is not about his never-ending and nasty custody fight, this is about soothing the masses! Did you know that we all need to feed our sins with the medicine? We do! Amidst our troubles, our uncertainty, our fear, Jeremy Renner is here with a balm for our tired spirits. Feed our sins with the medicine and we will be okay!

Feed our sins with the medicine is nonsense, of course, as no one has ever described feeding anyone or anything medicine. Taking medicine, yes, swallowing, perhaps, but I assume that wouldnt work in the scansion of the song. You could just write a different song that doesnt rely on nonsense for the hook, but what I do know? Ive only won poetry prizes. I love the dad rock Renner is putting out into the world. Its so mediocre. I will never, ever understand people who are genuinely good at one thing but insist on being mediocre at something else. I get that he loves music, and he has the money to fund his hobbybut not pay his kids bills?but alsoremember when Jeremy Renner was just a good actor? It was better, right? It was certainly simpler. Now we have to contend with his acting career AND the steady diet of unflattering stories re: the custody battle AND his singing career. Dont we have enough going on in our lives right now? Do we really have time for new music from Jeremy Renner?

Read the original post:

Jeremy Renner new EP, The Medicine, is the balm for our tired spirits - LaineyGossip

News Release

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

The National Library of Medicine (NLM), part of the National Institutes of Health, is working on multiple fronts to aid in the COVID-19 response through new initiatives with the global publishing community and artificial intelligence researchers. NLM is expanding access to scientific papers on coronavirus for researchers, care providers, and the public, and for text-mining research. This work makes use of NLMs PubMed Central (PMC), a digital archive of peer-reviewed biomedical and life sciences literature. PMC currently provides access to nearly 6 million full-text journal articles.

Following on a statement issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and science policy leaders from almost a dozen other nations, NLM has stepped up its collaboration with publishers and scholarly societies to increase the number of coronavirus-related journal articles in PMC, along with available data supporting them. Submitted publications will be made available in PMC as quickly as possible after publication, in formats and with needed permissions to support text mining.

To support this initiative, NLM is adapting its standard procedures for depositing articles into PMC to provide greater flexibility that will ensure coronavirus research is readily available. NLM is also engaging with journals and publishers that do not currently participate in PMC but are in-scope for the NLM Collection. Interested publishers should contact pmc-phe@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov for information on participating in this initiative. Additional information, including a list of participating publishers and journals, is available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/about/covid-19.

By making this collection of coronavirus articles more readily available in machine-readable formats, NLM aims to enable artificial intelligence researchers to develop and apply novel approaches to text mining to help answer questions about coronavirus. NLM has already made more than 10,000 full-text scholarly articles from PMC related to the coronavirus available through the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19). The CORD-19 dataset, the result of a request by OSTP, represents the most extensive machine-readable coronavirus literature collection available for text mining to date.

NLM will continue to aid COVID-19 response efforts by adding articles to its text-mining collection as they are published and submitted. It will also aim to bring this collection to the attention of the artificial intelligence and machine learning research communities.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is a leader in research in biomedical informatics and data science and the worlds largest biomedical library. NLM conducts and supports research in methods for recording, storing, retrieving, preserving, and communicating health information. NLM creates resources and tools that are used billions of times each year by millions of people to access and analyze molecular biology, biotechnology, toxicology, environmental health, and health services information. Additional information is available athttps://www.nlm.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

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Here is the original post:

The National Library of Medicine expands access to coronavirus literature through PubMed Central - National Institutes of Health

A worker sews face masks at SugarHouse Industries Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Midvale, Utah. SugarHouse Industries, a Utah company that usually manufactures boat tops and covers, has reconfigured its operation amid the spread of the coronavirus to produce face shields and masks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Researchers at Yale Medicine said Friday they have discovered a way to clean and reuse N95 masks, now in critical supply throughout the country.

The study comes as shortages of the N95 masks, which protect health care workers from the coronavirus, have forced hospitals to improvise, using less-ideal surgical masks.

Some drive-thru testing centers have had to curb their hours because of mask shortages.

Reusing the N95 masks could give health care workers some respite amid the growing demand.

The study found that using aerosolized hydrogen peroxide the agent used to fumigate the hospital rooms of patients with the C. Diff hospital infection was successful in cleaning the masks 100% of the time.

Using this process, researchers say, they were able to reuse the masks up to five times.

Dr. Patrick Kenney, medical director of the corporate supply chain for Yale Medicine and Yale New Haven Health, said prior research found that the N95 mask retained good protection 50 times after the technique was used but that you cannot use them clinically that many times. The wear and tear of the mask would not stand up.

Although Yales research paper has yet to be peer-reviewed, researchers have reproduced the results three times and expect to implement the technique when supply of N95s becomes dangerously low.

Researchers decided to make their findings available to physicians now for the public health benefit.

Already, on Thursday, Duke Health announced it would begin decontaminating and reusing the specialized mask using aerosolized hydrogen peroxide at its three hospitals in Durham and Raleigh. In a statement, Duke Health explained that the technique permeates the masks to kill germs, including viruses, without harming the material.

Kenney said Yale New Haven Hospital has begun to reprocess the N95 masks but is waiting for an independent lab to determine whether the masks are still able to provide necessary filtration.

The N95 masks are one type of personal protective equipment that hospitals are trying desperately to stockpile as the COVID-19 outbreak intensifies. Also known as the N95 respirator, the mask offers more protection than a standard surgical mask. It gets its name because it prevents at least 95% of airborne particles from entering the wearers mouth and nose, if worn properly.

The shortage of N95 masks has left many hospitals scrambling for ways to protect its health workers. The Centers for Disease Control also relaxed its guidelines, allowing health care providers to use less-effective surgical mask.

Although Kenney said many hospitals have the aerosolized hydrogen peroxide equipment, neither Saint Marys, Waterbury or Charlotte Hungerford hospitals responded to inquiries asking whether they did.

Yales Kenney said Yale-New Haven has an adequate supply of N95s but that were quite concerned about availability. He emphasized that this technique is a back up plan to be implemented only if the supply of N95s becomes dangerously low. Its not the only aspect of our emergency plan, he said.

Related

Read more:

Yale Medicine researchers discover way to clean, reuse N95 masks - Waterbury Republican American

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 30

After the supply of fodder for cattle has been normalised, dairy owners in city are now waiting for medicines for the treatment of sick cattle and are concerned as medicines are not available.

Since curfew has been imposed, veterinary medicine shops are closed and there is no service available to deliver medicine at dairy complexes, said the dairy owners on Tajpur Road.

Earlier, Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu met fodder suppliers of Baranala and requested them to ensure the supply of fodder for cattle in the district. Now, dairy owners want from the concerned authorities to allow delivery of veterinary medicines at doorsteps.

The president of Tajpur Road Dairy Complex Association, DS Oberoi, said: The supply of dry fodder for cattle has been resumed. We want that medicines and feed for the cattle should also be delivered at dairy complexes. There are some veterinary medicine shops at Tajpur Road, but are closed owing to the curfew. The government should either open veterinary medicine shops or provide the shop owners with curfew passes to start delivery of required medicines at dairy complexes. If the required feed is not available, production of milk may also get affected.

Though dry fodder is being made available but the suppliers say they are unable to weigh the fodder as the stores where weighing scales are available, are closed. We request the authorities to resolve our issues so that supply of milk can be ensured, said a dairy owner.

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said: After we met some farmers, they have started the supply of fodder to dairy complexes. We will take the required measures so that the delivery of veterinary medicines can also be ensured at the earliest.

Read the original post:

Dairies demand doorstep delivery of vet medicines - The Tribune

In the first entirely unified match for allopathic and osteopathic medical students, the total number of U.S. students and graduates matching into the specialty increased by 103 compared to last year's combined totals from the NRMP and the American Osteopathic Association's Intern/Resident Registration Program.

"Everything is getting overshadowed by the pandemic, but we hope that doesn't diminish the sense of accomplishment students should feel," said Clif Knight, the AAFP's senior vice president for education. "It's important to recognize this critical milestone in students' journey of transformation into physicians. We're certainly celebrating every new member of the family medicine workforce. This is a big deal, and we congratulate our new family medicine residents."

U.S. seniors from allopathic medical schools accounted for 1,557 positions (60 fewer than a year ago) filled in family medicine, while U.S. seniors from osteopathic medical schools accounted for 1,399 positions (410 more than last year's NRMP total and 104 more than last year's combined NRMP and AOA total).

Knight praised the osteopathic pipeline, which matched nine U.S. seniors into family medicine for every 10 allopathic U.S. seniors who matched into the specialty. Knight said that was "astonishing" considering that osteopathic schools have roughly one-third the number of overall U.S. graduates. Only 8.6% of U.S. allopathic seniors matched to family medicine residencies, compared to 23.4% of osteopathic seniors.

Importantly, the international medical school pipeline contributed strongly to the family medicine workforce again this year, with 25.5% of family medicine residency positions filling with 1,193 students and graduates of international medical schools, 78 more than last year.

Knight said that although there have been positive changes encouraging students to pursue family medicine, including the launch of new residency programs this year, he called on U.S. allopathic medical schools to do more to spur the growth of family medicine.

"We need every sector of the undergraduate medical education pipeline to recruit, support, expose, prepare and graduate students into those family medicine residencies," he said. "It is shameful and unacceptable that the sector of this undergraduate pipeline that is the largest, receives the most public funding and includes some of the most elite medical training institutions in the country graduates the smallest rate of students into family medicine."

In 2018, the AAFP set an ambitious goal of ensuring that by 2030, 25% of U.S. medical students pursue family medicine as their specialty. The percentage of U.S. seniors and graduates entering family medicine remained stable at 12.6% with the rise in osteopathic students offsetting the reduction in allopathic students.

"I'm excited by the Match numbers, but we want to see that percentage go up," said AAFP President Gary LeRoy, M.D., of Dayton, Ohio. "We're only halfway there as we start a new decade, but we're going to keep pushing."

Overall, a whopping 4,335 students and graduates -- 487 more than a year ago -- matched into family medicine. It was the 11th straight Match Day with year-over-year increases for the specialty and the ninth consecutive year that a record number of people matched into family medicine.

Family medicine's final total of new residents likely will be significantly higher because the results released March 20 did not include students who matched through the post-Match Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP). The specialty had 350 unfilled slots -- 70 more than a year ago -- due in part to the fact that nine family medicine residency programs received Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation in January and likely recruited during the SOAP process.

There also are expected to be more than 100 medical students who matched to family medicine in the December 2019 military match, but those results were not available.

"Despite that growth, we need to grow even more to meet the needs of our communities," Knight said. "The pandemic highlights the need for access to primary care. People are relying on frontline physicians -- family physicians -- across the country."

Knight said even more family medicine training slots are needed to meet the nation's demand for access to care, and one way to do that would be to provide stable, increased funding for primary care programs, including the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program. That program has been extended by short-term funding patches multiple times, but without congressional action the program, along with community health centers and the National Health Service Corps, will expire May 22.

The Academy included workforce programs among the priority issues it asked congressional leaders to support in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in a March 19 letter.(4 page PDF) The AAFP also is urging members to contact their members of Congress in support of teaching health centers via the Speak Out tool.(www.votervoice.net)

LeRoy said the pandemic has given the Academy more opportunities to communicate with the administration and federal agencies about the need to support primary care programs, including those facing a May expiration date. It also has given family physicians opportunities to talk with the media about what is happening in their communities as COVID-19 spreads.

"I'll be very interested to see how the Match looks for family medicine in 2021," LeRoy said, "after the nation and the world see how our specialty was the essential ingredient necessary to get us through this crisis."

See more here:

More US Students Match to Family Medicine in Record Year - AAFP News

SOUTH CHINA SEA - Members of Navy Forward-Deployed Preventive Medicine Units (FDPMU) and Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) embarked several 7th Fleet ships March 14 to help combat the risk of and provide laboratory batch testing for COVID-19 aboard the ships.

Teams are embarked on the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and have the ability to batch test Sailors onboard who present with influenza-like illness symptoms, instead of only sending samples to be tested ashore.

This capability provides early-warning surveillance for the medical teams to be able to identify if a COVID-19 case is onboard a ship, but does not individually diagnose Sailors. If a batch were to test positive for COVID-19, the medical teams would take additional measures, such as isolating the Sailors whose samples were in the batch, and depending on the Sailors symptoms, potentially medically evacuating them off the ship to a shore facility for testing.

To date, no cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed aboard any U.S. 7th Fleet Navy vessel.

The team here in 7th Fleet has taken COVID-19 seriously from the beginning and has many public health measures already in place, said Capt. Christine Sears, U.S. 7th Fleet surgeon. The FDPMU and NMRC augmentation teams provide additional depth in our ability to combat this virus.

Teams embarked the ships to provide at-sea testing and to ensure the U.S. 7th Fleet operating forces are ready to combat a possible outbreak while maintaining mission readiness. The teams provide additional capabilities in addition to the U.S. 7th Fleets isolation procedures.

The teams are comprised of a variety of specialized Navy Medicine personnel to ensure force health protection of the fleet, and may include: a microbiologist, medical laboratory technician, preventive medicine officer, preventive medicine technician.

As a medical service corps microbiology officer, this embark gives us the chance to demonstrate some of our skillsets to the fleet, and what we bring to the fight, said Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Pavlicek, Blue Ridge COVID-19 testing team lead. This capability allows us, the Navy, to protect mission readiness and protection of our Sailors.

To ensuring force health protection of the fleet, other medical specialties or logistical components can be scaled up or down to meet mission specific requirements in the mitigation, health surveillance, and casualty prevention.

This is the most advanced laboratory capability that Navy Medicine has placed forward deployed, said Lt. Cmdr. Danett Bishop, leader and microbiologist for the preventative medicine team aboard America. We can make force health decisions in real time, enhancing the health of the crew while minimizing any potential outbreak of COVID-19.

The FDPMU teams aboard the USS America and the USS Blue Ridge are from Navy Environmental Preventative Medicine Unit 6 based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and work to facilitate and educate using preventive medicine practices and provide additional laboratory capabilities. The team embarked with USS Theodore Roosevelt is assigned to the Naval Medical Research Center based in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Currently, the teams are only authorized to perform surveillance testing and not individual testing. This means that the results cannot be linked to a particular patient for diagnostics, but would enable the team to detect COVID-19s presence on the ship based off of the results.

Since we are performing surveillance testing, the results of COVID-19 present, or not present can help inform the force health protection posture and provide valuable insight for the senior medical officer and outbreak response team, said Pavlicek.

The teams are equipped with two testing capabilities, including the BioFire Film Array and the Step One RT-PCR System. The BioFire Film Array will test for a dozen different respiratory diseases, while the Step One RT-PCR System allow for complex COVID-19 tests at sea, if necessary.

As the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet operates roughly 50-70 ships and submarines and 140 aircraft with approximately 20,000 Sailors.

More here:

Navy preventive medicine teams embark ships in 7th Fleet - navy.mil

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Xiaoxi Zhang unloads a suitcase filled with donations as Katie Doyle helps collect them at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Zhang walked from North Campus to bring whatever medical supplies she had herself. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

ANN ARBOR -- Some walked, some drove and other rode bikes to bring whatever medical supplies they had to donate to UM Hospitals amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The donation center at the North Campus Research Complex on the corner of Huron parkway and Plymouth road in Ann Arbor opened on Saturday at noon. Within the first two hours, volunteers had already collected donations from almost 150 cars.

"It's very touching to see so many people," said Katie Doyle, a Clinical Assistant Professor at UM's School of Social Work. Doyle, along with several other volunteers put on their protective gear and spent their day collecting donations.

The donation center is collecting several items, including disposable gloves, masks, gowns, surgical caps, foot covers, N95 masks, eye protective gear, hand sanitizer and bleach or microbial wipes.

Julie Smith, an AP Biology teacher at Greenhills School, reached out to her department looking for whatever supplies they had after a chaplain from her church reached out to her about the donation center.

Smith donated disposable gloves and plans on going back to Greenhills to collect whatever safety goggles they have to donate as well.

"Whatever we can do to help," said Smith.

The donation center will be open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends at 2800 Plymouth road.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Andrew Stines unloads boxes of medical supplies that are being donated to Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Mary Jo Callan, Director of the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at the University of Michigan helps to collect donations for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Donations are sorted out for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Mary Jo Callan, Director of the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at the University of Michigan wears protective gear as she helps collect donations for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Kelly Schwartz, left, and Kristin Johnson help collect donations for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

A cart filled with protective gear sits outside at the donation center for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Andrew Stines unloads boxes of medical supplies that are being donated to Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Mary Jo Callan, Director of the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at the University of Michigan wears protective gear as she helps collect donations for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

UM Research Associate Fran Vandenbergh sorts donations for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Donations are sorted out for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Senior Facility Service Manager at the UM Medical school Maryellen Tracy, left, and Facility Assistant Andrew Stines await more cars to collect donations from for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Clinical Assistant Professor at the UM School of Social Work Katie Doyle helps to collect donations for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Xiaoxi Zhang walks to a donation center for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Zhang walked from North Campus to bring whatever medical supplies she had herself. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Donations are sorted out for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Volunteers help collect donations of medical supplies for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Clinical Assistant Professor at the UM School of Social Work Katie Doyle wears protective glasses with a Michigan "M" on them as she helps to collect donations for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Clinical Assistant Professor at the UM School of Social Work Katie Doyle helps to collect donations for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Mary Jo Callan, Director of the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at the University of Michigan wears protective gear as she helps collect donations for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Mary Jo Callan, Director of the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at the University of Michigan helps to collect donations for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

A respirator sits in a donation box for Michigan Medicine at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Michigan Medicine is asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com

Mary Jo Callan, Director of the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at the University of Michigan collects a donation from Zijin Chu, a student at UM at the North Campus Research Complex on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Chu rode her bike to the donation center to give a box of disposable masks her parents had sent her from Beijing. Michigan Medicine is are asking for donations of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Supplies needed include disposable face masks, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, among others.

See more here:

Michigan Medicine begins collecting protective gear donations for health care workers and patients - MLive.com

Teaneck-based attorney Sam Davis conducts an online deposition.

NEW JERSEYAs the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to take its toll on many aspects of our life, the legal system is one of the venues that has had to adopt to the rapidly changing social landscape.

Last week, New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner announced that beginning March 16, there would be no new jury trials for 2 weeks, an action that was supported by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

As part of our continuing response to the spread of COVID-19, we are suspending municipal court sessions for a two-week period, Chief Justice Rabner said. Where it is possible to resolve court matters without compromising the health and safety of the public and court staff, we will continue to do so.

Judge Glenn Grant, acting administrative director of the Courts, said that the judicial system will use technological capabilities to continue court proceedings.

As such, to adhere to the issue of public safety, some law firms are now conducting motions, non-jury trials and some hearings remotely, with the use of video and telephonic equipment.

Whereas most attorneys are scrambling to get up to speed with this technology, Sam Davis, senior partner at Davis, Saperstein and Solomon, P.C., in Teaneck, who specializes in personal injury cases, has been using it for decades.

Davis made headlines worldwide with a landmark case in 1998, in which he was granted a ruling from (now retired) New Jersey Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Sciuto that allowed his client, Marin Turcinovic, a quadriplegic in a Chigago medical treatment facility and unable to travel, to view and testify at his medical malpractice trial in the Bergen County Courthouse via the internet.

Turcinovic was ultimately awarded $10 million, the reputed highest settlement for a personal injury case in the State of New Jersey.

At the time, Davis declared, The courts ruling is not only a victory for my client but also for the handicapped community. The decision provides an access to all those injured victims who might not otherwise be able to have their day in court.

Davis and his partners have been using internet technology for their cases ever since, and they have the capability of video-conferencing up to 30 people at once.

We are currently still available to see clients in our Teaneck location and our investigators are still visiting accident scenes and making house calls as needed, but we are shifting our office into a virtual configuration, Davis said. All of our employees will be able to work from home with the same efficiency that they do from their desks.

Davis predicts that as the insurance companies and defense lawyers become more comfortable with the technology, it will become the norm for the procedures that have traditionally been done in a judges chamber or open court, such as taking depositions, arguing motions, and conducting settlement conferences with the court.

Davis explained the capabilities of legal video-conferencing.

It allows us to meet and interact with clients face to face, which you cant do just by talking on the phone. We can also conference with investigators who are working cases and present visual materials that can determine the settlement amount we receive from insurance companies, said Davis.

So, these capabilities are persuasive and sometimes critical. When you present a motion, the impact of looking at the person who is speaking goes beyond words, he said.

A challenge faced by law firms that use internet technology is that older clients may not be familiar with it. Some seniors do not know how do things on a computer. So, Davis firm tutors their old school clients in the basics, and they have a system in place that allows clients to sign documents electronically that have to be filed with various authorities.They can do this with or without internet access.

Today, clients that injury law practices represent are confronted not only with the pain and suffering of their injury, but also with the anxiety of economic uncertainty and the fear of whether they can get treatment at the unusual facilities, such as a hospital or a local orthopedists office. They are also worried about getting their medical disability payments because so many peoples jobs have been disrupted.

As such, some current injury cases may also factor in additional pain and suffering caused by the Coronavirus crisis.

Clients are faced with a double whammy, Davis said. In addition to the pain and suffering of their injury, it is harder to access doctors who are available for non-coronavirus cases, and each time clients do get a treatment, they face the risk of getting infected. So, many injury victims suffer without treatment, and this is compounded by the anxiety of not knowing when life will return to some semblance of normalcy.

Financial insecurity, worries about the health of loved ones and being isolated can cause anxiety and depression. If you add to this mix the pain of back spasm, you have a condition that really requires psychological intervention. Our attorneys are now routinely questioning our existing clients as well as new ones about the compounded effects that the coronavirus crisis has heaped on their injury.

When Davis was asked whether he expects that there will be COVID-19 victims who want to sue medical centers for not providing testing or emergency care soon enough, he replied, We may get inquiries, but we have no plans to pursue them. Our plan is to be part of our communitys and our countrys recovery, not to finger point or second guess about what could have been done.

In the era of Coronavirus, a major challenge for personal injury litigation lawyers is the difficulty in safely getting their clients treatment for their traumatic injuries.

But, Davis is using an innovative solution to this dilemma. Instead of in-person medical care, he is working with a large cadre of doctors to implement telemedicine, i..e, diagnosis and treatment by videoconferencing. This delivers immediate care and it avoids putting patient, doctors and staff at increase risk of infection.

Davis recently related, I interviewed 20 physicians and psychologists, and 18 of them said that they were eager to use telemedicine to help their patients. We applaud these kinds of doctors!

Telemedicine is actually decades old. It has been primarily used to treat patients in rural areas and prisons.

In 2017, the State of New Jersey passed parity legislation which requires treaters, i.e., physicians, nurse practitioners and physical therapists, at rates that are comparable to in-office visits.

In telemedicine, the doctor utilizes a secured connection that allows him to see and examine the patient, take a medical history and conduct a physical examination.

This may sound implausible, because there is no physical touching of any body part. But protocols have been developed where a doctor can test a patients range of motion, note limitations and complaints of pain and observe spasms and then make a diagnosis with a high degree of accuracy. Based on these procedures, the doctor can also determine if the patient needs to have additional testing done, such as MRI and BNGs.

The literature reports that there is a high satisfaction rate for both the patients and doctors who use telemedicine.Patients spend a lot less time commuting, they avoid the pain of getting into and out of a car, and they dont have to wait in a doctors office, which may not even be a safe place nowadays.Most important, they have a lot of eye to eye contact with the doctor, as they would in an office visit.

Forward thinking healers are also implementing video conferencing for therapy. Doctors who examine injury clients usually prescribe a course of physical therapy, even before doing MRIs.

Teletheraphy can be accomplished with objects found in the home such as a chair, a piece of rope or can filled with food to help. These items can help a patient restore range of motion and strength.

To supplement that, some therapists will send their patients basic therapy equipment, like stretchable rubber sheets called therabands, that can help rehabilitate a patient before or after their surgery.

Davis states that therapy is critical to injured clients.

As attorneys, we are always concerned with our clients health and well being and the ability to get them full compensation for their injuries, he said. There is a heightened, often debilitating anxiety caused by the multiple stressors they now face during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this makes it even more important for them to keep up their physical therapy.

Whenever there has been a lapse in treatment, the insurance companies raise that defense, suggesting that the injury was not that serious or that it wasnt caused by the accident, Davis said. Telemedicine and tele-therapy with required medical documentation will prevent our clients from being taken advantage of.

So, even though jury trials are now suspended due to restrictions on social distancing, Davis, Saperstein, and Solomon , P.C., and other law firms will continue to settle cases with both judicial video teleconferences and mediations in front of judges, and they expect this that format will become the rule, not the exception.

With these new and evolving technologies that assist the legal as well as medical communities, Davis predicts that the cornarvirus crisis is rapidly ushering in a Golden Age of telemedicine and tele-therapy.

As more lawyers and judges appreciate the efficiency of legal video conferencing, it will become the norm in litigation practice, he said.

See the rest here:

Video Conferencing Increasingly Utilized in Law, Medicine, During COVID-19 Pandemic Pascack Press & Northern Valley Press - Pascack Press &...

I had an interesting conversation with the young medical anthropologist and columnist, Gideon Lasco, the other day. He had done research on folk medicine, and I hope it will get published soon. Our conversation is perhaps most relevant today especially with the country in the grip of the Coronavirus pandemic.

My reading of history tells me that during the Spanish regime, cholera and smallpox epidemics had occurred, killing hundreds, and they continued until the early part of the American regime and claimed, for instance, the life of Apolinario Mabini in a cholera outbreak in the 1900s.

My mother herself had smallpox, which poxed her face with shallow scars. Both diseases had been wiped out, but will they ever return the way polio has returned?

Gideon knows that many of the so-called folk medicine practices are not all that invalid for the herbolarios had a very good knowledge of our medicinal plants. In fact, I have wondered what the ancient Filipinos used for anesthesia; before the Spaniards came, they filed their teeth. They must have chewed some weed or root that numbed their gums. Much of the ancient knowledge on medicinal plants have of course been studied and codified by Chinese medicine.

Superstition I remember when someone in our neighborhood got sick, and offerings were made before the giant dalipawen tree which is believed to be inhabited by spirits. Theatangor offering consisted of a plate of gelatinous rice much like suman. In the middle was a shelled hard-boiled egg, a hand rolled cigar and betel nut. It is usually the head of the family, usually the grandfather who presented the offering, invoking a plea for the spirit to banish the ailment of the family member. After he had gone, we the children in the neighborhood feasted on the offering. When I had a fever, the local herbolario came to our house to offer a prayer and then covered my body with nameless leaves. It was to him who the villagers went to first when they were ill, and if their condition did not improve, only then did they go to the doctor.

They also give a massage often with ground ginger mixed with coconut oil, particularly to the women who had just given birth. Together with these herbolarios were the faith healers who enjoyed a wider clientele. Two skeptics, the late Max Soliven and I were attended to by Tomas Blanche of Isabela; he kneaded Maxs shoulders with his fingers and extracted cholesterol; he pressed a spoon on my tummy and a syrupy liquid flowed out from my skin.

Disease travels; many pristine societies in South America did not have the infectious diseases like syphilis until the Conquistadors came. Ancient Egyptian mummies were found to have traces of diabetes, the diagnosis of it made easy only in this century, and so many of the human ailments that were traced to diabetes were treated properly. If there seems to be a diabetic epidemic today, it is because its diagnosis is now easy to make.

When I was in the Medical Corps in 1945, the most popular drugs were the sulfas. Antibiotics have just appeared. My eye doctor, Cesar Lopez observed, the Bubonic plague that killed millions during the Middle Ages would have been easily cured by penicillin. Indeed, science continues to find new ways to combat diseases. The words, cholesterol and nuclear medicine, were unknown in the 1940s. So too organ transplants. It will take a few months more, I hope, when a vaccine for this Coronavirus pandemic will be discovered.

Unless subsidized, a career in medicine is very expensive and all too often, doctors, particularly those in government, receive very little, for which reason, they opt to practice abroad where they get better pay. As specialists, they earn more but it takes years of practice to achieve that kind of reputation.

Then, there is the problem of expensive hospitals and medicines a problem already resolved in socialist countries where healthcare is free and the responsibility of the state.

During the tenure of Dr. Juan Flavier in the eighties as Health Secretary, he initiated a program of sending barefoot doctors to work in the villages prevention and correct hygienic practices warded off diseases, particularly the contagious.

Singapore and Cuba have been particularly successful in combatting COVID-19 primarily because their governments are efficient. One may argue that these are island states, small and therefore easy to govern. But it is more than this the healthcare systems in these countries afford their citizens protection and support in instances of widespread need. Cubas educational system, too, is worth examining for this country illustrates how, even with its economic problems, it is able to provide basic services to all its people.

In Italy, where the death toll is the highest in the world, many of these victims died alone, their burial postponed. The next few weeks will certainly show how much we have to pay for the incompetence of our leaders.

If we survive this pandemic and I pray we will, what can we learn from it?

First, we must learn to bear the cost and to prepare for future pandemics because they are not going to disappear even with the greatest advances made in science.

If we have the most accurate information early enough and widespread enough, then we can at least prepare for it. China kept this information to itself under that kind of dictatorial government, it seemed the right thing to do. We now reap the whirlwind.

This challenge like climate change is global and we need to cooperate with all countries, particularly those that can help us. Shutting off our borders will not help as much as shutting our streets and neighborhoods where the disease first appeared.

It is also the duty of these giant pharmaceutical companies to produce drugs that are available to the very poor; and finally and most importantly, we have to reform the political order and usher in a government very expensive perhaps that can attend to the social needs of our people. Capitalism may have to go, as the deadliest virus. Capitalism protects the rich and damns the poor.

Read the rest here:

Folk medicine What this coronavirus pandemic teaches us - Philippine Star

Nurses wait for the next patient to be screened for coronavirus at a UW Medicine testing station. (UW Medicine Photo / Randy Carnell)

UW Medicine patients are getting checked for coronavirus at a drive-through station set up in a hospital clinics parking lot.

A similar station was created a couple of weeks ago inside a parking garage at UW Medical Center Northwest, to test employees of the University of Washingtons medical system. The by-appointment-only station was set up near the original site, at the hospitals outpatient clinic, and began serving high-risk patients on Monday.

We have already started to do testing in the hospital emergency department and some clinics. But there are a number of our patients who may not be appropriate for sending in to those environments, to minimize the risk of infection to themselves, and perhaps to others, Thomas Hei, director of outpatient services for UW Medical Center, explained in a UW video about the operation.

Patients can drive to a spot where they roll down the window and have nasal swab samples taken without getting out of the car. The process takes only a few minutes. Samples are then sent to the lab for processing, with results available within a couple of days.

The drive-through model was pioneered in South Korea and is being adapted by a growing number of medical networks and public health agencies.

During a White House briefing, Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, said 47 drive-through stations are due to be set up over the next few days in about a dozen states, as part of a public-private partnership facilitated by federal officials. Eventually, hundreds of stations could pop up around the nation.

Giroir said federal health workers conducted trial runs at a test site on Monday. We had a lot of kinks in the system, he admitted.

No such kinks were reported at UW Medicines site. Fifteen patients were served on the stations first day of operation, and Hei expects the pace to pick up.

I cant emphasize enough that this is not as if this is a retail drive-up, drive-through testing site, Hei said. We estimate that we should be able to test somewhere around 50 a day maybe more, depending on staffing and equipment.

Laurie Kuypers was one of several mask-wearing nurses who were taking samples. I work in the operating room, so Im kind of used to wearing a mask all day long, she said. But changing in and out of clothes this often is interesting, to say the least. I never imagined Id be out here doing this. But Im happy to do it, of course.

UW Medicine patients who are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19 for example, fever, a dry cough, sore throat and shortness of breath should call their physician or the UW Medicine Virtual Clinic to find out whether testing is needed. If the answer is yes, patients will be given an appointment for testing at the drive-through station or at an established UW Medicine clinic.

Read the rest here:

UW Medicine opens drive-through coronavirus testing station for patients by appointment only - GeekWire

There is an atmosphere of doom and gloom currently blanketing the globe as the coronavirus continues to spread. With entertainment and sporting events coming to a complete halt in many countries, quarantine and chill have become the new norm. As people adjust to the idea of staying in their homes for extended periods, its easy to see how things may become overwhelming for some. This is why some comedians feel that now is the time to keep people laughing. They believe that comic relief is necessary in these times and expressed ways the latter could be achieved without taking away from the seriousness of the pandemic.

Dufton Duffy Shepherd told The Sunday Gleaner that he is a firm believer in the phrase laughter is the best medicine. He explained that with all the sadness crippling the globe because of the virus, jokes are needed to balance the scales.

Persons need to understand that comedians are humans, and we are affected by the same situations that are affecting everybody else, but as a comedian, it is our responsibility to make this whole situation a little more palatable. Perhaps the way to survive all that is happening right now is to laugh at some of these issues, he said. And I want people to understand what Im saying. Im not saying we should make light of the issue because it is indeed serious but finding humour in the situation could help keep you sane. Laughing at things is not the same as taking it lightly.

Shepherd, whose comedy special, Slightly Unhinged, was postponed due to the virus outbreak, said he believes that jokes can even be used to educate the masses.

Sometimes the message is best communicated through laughter because its easier and more digestible. The same messages you want to get across about social distancing and hygiene, comedy can do that and in a way that connects with people because it made them smile. Everybody is so tense and so uptight right now that it (laughing) is the best thing to do. It will soothe the soul.

Internationally based comedian Rohan Gunter shared the same sentiments.

A little comic relief is always good, innu, whether the circumstances are bad or great. It gives people the opportunity to raise their vibes. If youre not in a fun mood right now while Corona is going around, comedy may be just the thing to lift your spirits, he said. This is the best time for comedy right now. When you have people going through stress, depression, paranoia, comedy is the best medicine. Its always good to have something light to consume when there is so much sadness and darkness.

Gunter, however, went on to explain that understanding time and place will be the thing that separates a good joke from one that is just plain insensitive.

The delivery of your joke is always important because people are dying from this thing, and you dont want to desensitise the issue. For example, if youre called to entertain some people at a hospital and some people just passed away because of corona, probably that wouldnt be the best audience for a straight corona joke. But there are topics coming off of corona that would be funny and appropriate. For example, you could talk about parents having to babysit the teachers children (which are their children) now because of school closures associated with the coronavirus, he said.

Shepherd agreed. There are elements of this that are already comedic because if yuh look at it, people run gone buy out all a di tissue, and fi wah? Does it make sense to buy out all a di tissue and nuh have no food? he aslked. As human beings, we just have to make sure that we arent making light of the situation. We have to bring the jokes across in a manner that is tasteful, and, as professionals, we know how to toe the line.

With that said, both professionals said that when situations normalise and bans on public gatherings are lifted, they are a hundred per cent certain coronavirus jokes will be woven into their sets.

Presently, I am putting some jokes together that are corona-related. As a comedian, you have to. Its a hot topic. It is at the top of the list of things you have to talk about. Theres no going around that, said Gunter.

Shepherd added: My show was postponed to a later date, and Im definitely sure that when it is held, corona is on my list. I will talk about how weve handled it, the attitude, and the entire experience. It has to be a topic, and Im looking forward to the after.

shereita.grizzle@gleanerjm.com

Original post:

Comedy: the best (coronavirus) medicine? - Duffy, Gunter believe there is a place for jokes amid the gloom - Jamaica Gleaner

Mylan Resurrects Old Malaria Medication to Fight COVID-19

Mylan (MYL) reported that it has decided to restart the production of hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets. The restart is to allow the use of these tablets as potential treatment of COVID-19. It is expected that the tablets will be available in the market by mid April. The tablet is currently approved to be used for treating malaria. Hydroxychloroquine is also approved to be used for treating some autoimmune diseases due to its anti-inflammatory properties and lower toxicity.

Mylan is currently looking to manufacture tablets in its West Virginia factory but may initiate such production outside of the United States as well. There had been a couple of studies which claimed that the tablet has the potential to treat COVID-19. The drug has been shortlisted by the World Health Organization as potential weapon to combat the coronavirus. However, Mylan is not the only firm to restart the production of hydroxychloroquine as Teva also announced its plan to donate over 6 million doses to US hospitals for meeting crucial demand.

As the world continues to be under threat from coronavirus, Mylan stands to gain substantial windfall should hydroxychloroquine proves its worth as a COVID-19 treatment. Currently, there is no approved treatment for this latest pandemic. However, given the severity of the situation, it is expected that the FDA will be taking swift measures for introducing treatments to the market.

Apart from focusing on fighting coronavirus, Mylan also recently reported its Biologics License Application for MYL 1402O which has been developed as a biosimilar to Avastin. The application has been reviewed under the 351(K) pathway and seeks approval for the drug candidate as first line and second treatment for patients suffering from metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with fluorouracil-based chemotherapy.

Mylan recently reported its fourth-quarter and full-year results. The company reported its total revenue for the year at $11.50 billion while its fourth-quarter revenue jumped 4 percent to touch $3.19 billion. Its adjusted EPS declined 3 percent to $4.42 and the companys adjusted free cash flow dipped 22 percent to $2.10 billion. The decline was mainly caused by investment in working capital on account new product launches. The company expects its FY 2020 revenue to be in the range of $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion while its adjusted EBITDA will likely be in the range of $3.2 billion to $3.9 billion.

Mylan is currently going through the process of merging with Upjohn, which is Pfizers (NYSE:PFE) off-patent branded and generic medicine business. The resulting entity will have 57 percent ownership of Pfizer shareholders whereas the remaining part will be held by Mylan shareholders. It was earlier reported that the new company will be called Viatris. The merger is expected to be completed by the mid of 2020. The portfolio of the Viatris will have a wide range of drugs and treatments including Celebrex, Viagra, Lipitor and EpiPen.

Mylan shows strong potential for its biosimilar business. The company has diverse biosimilar portfolio with robust development pipeline in place.

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (LXRX) reported that it plans to shut down its two Zynquista studies due to paucity of funds. The drug candidate was being tested for its efficacy in treating heart failure, chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. The two studies destined to be shut down are SOLOIST and SCORED. Lexicon stated that the decision has been taken after assessing the situation that a likely partnership intended to fund the studies is not likely to happen. The company also counted uncertainties caused by COVID-19 pandemic as one of the reasons.

Lexicon will provide further information about the trials during the announcement of its first-quarter results conference, scheduled to be held in May. The company stated that the decision was taken to preserve financial resources and to focus on other initiatives such as telotristat ethyl in biliary tract cancer and LX9211 in neuropathic pain. Lonnel Coats, president and chief executive officer of Lexicon, added, Pending review of the data, we expect that we will have accrued sufficient exposure data and cardiovascular events to satisfy all requirements for type 2 diabetes and, even with the early close-out, that these studies will contribute scientifically important data in the areas of cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease.

Zynquista has a long history behind it as Lexicon had earlier partnered with Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) for developing and commercializing the drug. However, following an FDA rejection earlier in 2019, Sanofi ended the alliance later the year. The companies were working to develop the drug as an add on therapy to insulin injection for improving blood sugar control. Sanofi paid $260 million to Lexicon for ending the collaboration. Zynquista is a dual inhibitor of SGLT1 and SGLT2 and believed to reduce glucose absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and glucose reabsorption by the kidneys. It also believed to stimulate the release of GLP-1.

Celsion (CLSN) provided positive update about Phase 1/2 clinical trial OVATION 2. The company stated that all 15 patients in the trail showed successful resection of their tumors. 78 percent of the patients included in GEN 1 cohort showed an R0 resection, in comparison to only 50 percent of the patients included in the NACT only cohort showing the similar results. R0 resection denotes margin negative resection implying that no cancer cells were found at the outer edge of surrounding tissue. However, the overall response rate of nearly 80 percent was similar for both the groups.

Celsion stated that it plans to begin enrollment for Phase 2 in the second half of this year. It is expected that final progression free data will be available 12 months after the completion of enrollment. Nicholas Borys, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer of Celsion, said, "The combined data from our previous Phase Ib dose-escalating trial (OVATION 1 Study) plus this latest data from the Phase I portion of the OVATION 2 Study further confirms the encouraging dose-dependent efficacy of GEN-1 plus NACT. At the highest dosage, the drug showed an 82 percent R0 resection rate.

OVATION 2 has been designed to study the impact of IL-12 gene-mediated immunotherapy GEN-1, combined with standard-of-care neoadjuvant chemo (NACT), in patients with advanced or metastatic ovarian cancer. The patients are required to undergo interval debulking surgery and then three additional cycles of chemo following the NACT. Out of 15 patients included in the study, 9 were given immunotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy whereas remaining 6 were given neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone.

The initial safety data from the first 15 patients was studied by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board, which concluded that no dose limiting toxicities were found in the 6 evaluable patients who received at least 4 weekly doses of GEN-1 at 100 mg/m2.

Thanks for reading. At the Total Pharma Tracker, we do more than follow biotech news. Using our IOMachine, our team of analysts work to be ahead of the curve.

That means that when the catalyst comes that will make or break a stock, weve positioned ourselves for success. And we share that positioning and all the analysis behind it with our members.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

View original post here:

Mylan's COVID-19 Medicine, And Other News: The Good, Bad And Ugly Of Biopharma - Seeking Alpha

Posted on 3/17/2020

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. WVU Medicine announced today that it is establishing five drive-through collection points in West Virginia to collect specimens from pre-screened patients to test for COVID-19. The collection points will be in Morgantown, Parkersburg, Bridgeport, Wheeling, and Martinsburg. Although there are still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in West Virginia, transmission of the coronavirus is increasing nationwide, and other health systems have successfully used the drive-through approach.The testing itself will be supported by both Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, which will process the specimens that WVU Medicine collects from patients. The collection points will operate seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting tomorrow, March 18. Patients will typically learn test results in three-to-four days, although time will likely vary based on the volume of tests these two companies will be performing.Tests will be reserved for people who meet screening criteria based on CDC recommendations and are sick with symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19: fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Asymptomatic patients or those people who have no obvious COVID-19 symptoms will not be tested. This will ensure only the highest-risk patients are identified and receive the appropriate medical intervention. The screening will not test for seasonal flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or any other respiratory illness.Patients who meet criteria for testing will be directed to one of the five drive-through collection points. WVU Medicine staff will collect the specimens, using appropriate precautions, and send them to Quest Diagnostics or LabCorp for analysis. This process reduces the need for other critically constrained resources.

We are happy to roll these collection sites out to our state and provide this critical service to our citizens, Judie Charlton, M.D., WVU Medicines chief medical officer, said. We only ask that people who are truly sick and who have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 request testing, which they can through their primary care doctor or by calling the WVU Medicine COVID-19 triage line at 304-598-6000, option 4.WVU Medicine will collect the specimen only if the patient has a valid Epic order from a referring physician.

Our process of requiring an Epic order expedites our ability to communicate results back to patients and ensure that appropriate measures have been taken in ordering the test, reporting to government agencies, and providing follow-through care when warranted, said Dr. Charlton. Patients whose care is through a provider without Epic access can be accommodated by the treating physician referring the patient to our Covid-19 triage number.

For more information on COVID-19, visit WVUMedicine.org/covid.

Link:

WVU Medicine to offer pre-screened patients drive-through specimen collection for COVID-19 - WVU Medicine

In September 2016, the American Medical Association held a funeral service to physical examination. Medical imaging is gradually replacing the age-old conventional practice of history-taking and clinical examination. Our legendary and eminent gurus made bedside diagnosis just with history and physical examination (which includes percussion and auscultation), which was confirmed by minimal investigations available those days. Sometimes, even without investigations, their diagnosis was accurate.

With the burial of physical examination, patients need not be touched or examined and can be straightaway subjected to a battery of investigations suggested by algorithms. The physician thus loses the thought process and judgment and can bid farewell to the stethoscope as auscultation will be redundant. It wont be long before robots will replace the physician and take the history and feed it in the computer and print out the investigations required. The physician needs to give only the prescription.

Now, skin patches monitor real-time blood glucose levels, automatic blood pressure recorders display the readings on mobile phones and electronic loop recorders monitor heart rhythms round the clock through telemetry. Many scans are reported online from distant locations without examining the patient.

During practical examinations for trainees, it was customary for the examiners to ask for provisional diagnosis soon after the history. Again after physical examination, the examinee is assessed for his or her capability of arriving at a reasonable diagnosis. With the burial of physical examination, is it necessary for the trainees to be subjected to such a rigorous assessment? Training physicians to make diagnosis without physicals is like teaching algebra and calculus without teaching division and multiplication. Similarly, a musical exponent cannot achieve perfection without learning basic notes and ragas.

When physical examination becomes obsolete, there wont be any need to touch the patient. This will replace the age-old practice of doctor-patient relationship and it can be renamed a computer-patient relationship. Such a patient can be called an e-patient. This will defeat the concept of family physicians which still exists in our country. It is the touch of the physician which gives the healing effect to the patient, the so-called Hastavasi (the healing touch).

With the entombment of physical examination, is it necessary to increase the number of medical colleges and medical seats when the future is going to be dominated by computers and artificial intelligence? This aspect is debatable, and policy makers and health-care providers must give a serious thought to this.

I predict, however, that the buried physical examination will definitely have a resurrection.

isathya@hotmail.com

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Excerpt from:

When medicine loses the healing touch - The Hindu

Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to take the government's social distancing advice seriously as he introduced new measures to protect the most vulnerable.

The NHS identified 1.5 million people with serious underlying health conditions who are most at-risk of catching the coronavirus.

Letters will be sent advising that they stay home for 12 weeks.

Mr Johnson said: "This shielding will do more than any other single measure that we are setting out to save lives."

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced that a network of local hubs set up around the country would deliver medicines and food to the most vulnerable and lonely people.

Nobody needs to worry about getting the food and essential items that they will need, he said.

These care packages will be left on the doorstep. Community pharmacies, supermarkets, councils and food distributors will work together to make this ambitious new service work.

The products will be free, with the Treasury footing the bill, and people will be able to order supplies over the phone and online. More details will be announced in the near future.

The announcement came as many people across the country continued to flout government advice to stay two metres apart from each other.

The prime minister resisted calls to impose a total lockdown and repeated government advice on social distancing.

Mr Johnson added: I want, of course I do, people to be able to go to the parks, open spaces and enjoy themselves.

"But even if you feel invulnerable, there are plenty of people you could infect.

"My message is you've got to do this in line with the advice, you've got to follow the social distancing rule - keep two metres apart. Take this advice seriously and it's absolutely crucial that you follow it.

"Otherwise if you don't do it responsibly... there is going to be no doubt that we will have to bring forward further measures and we are certainly keeping that under constant review.

"I would like to thank people who are already following the advice.

"The reason we're taking these unprecedented steps...is, of course, that we have to slow the spread of the disease and to save thousands of lives.

"The general principle should be we should all, as far as we possibly can, stay at home, protect our NHS and therefore save lives.

"The more we comply with this, the faster we will beat it."

Responding to questions on the dangers to elderly people leaving their homes, deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said that the public had a responsibility to make outside spaces safer by not congregating.

"There is a real balance point here - what we don't want to find is that we grow mental health problems or we grow other physical problems because of such a strict imposition.

"The virus doesn't last well outside for all sorts of reasons around temperature, UV light and everything else so actually an outdoor environment compared with an indoor one is generally a safer one - but the difficulty is if people are congregating outside or coming together."

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CORONAVIRUS: Hubs will deliver food and medicine to vulnerable - Swindon Advertiser

As a public service, Shaw Media will provide open access to information related to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) emergency.

DeKALB After seven new cases of COVID-19 were announced Thursday, local health officials are reiterating the urgency of getting adequate testing for public, to help prevent further person-to-person spread as cases arise north of the Chicago area.

"We've never seen anything like this, maybe since 1957 when they shut the schools down with the flu," said Bob Manam, an infectious disease specialist at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital. "We can see there's a change in the health officials within the last 24 to 48 hours, where they've really ramped it up. So they must be having some numbers of local sustained spread of infection."

Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday more cases in McHenry and Kane counties, which add to the total of 32 cases of coronavirus statewide. DeKalb County schools, events, organizations and government agencies inundated the news cycle Thursday with closures, cancellations and postponements, in an effort to deter in-person contact.

Manam said there's still an important step missing: providing enough testing kits for area hospitals to rule out coronavirus in patients who exhibit telling symptoms. Quest Diagnostic Labs announced today they've now been equipped with COVID-19 testing kits, Manam said. LabCorp Diagnostics will soon provide testing in Illinois as well, he said.

"These testing kits have to be provided to the hospitals or doctor's offices," Manam said. "Even today, if I wanted to get a test, I would not be able to. Today was the first day that I saw from Quest Labs. Likely in the next week or so those who need testing will get that."

The Illinois Department of Public Health has a testing lab, but Manam said the tests haven't been widely enough distributed so that area hospitals have access to them.

The tests themselves, spawned from a nasal swab which are sent in a contained package to the labs, don't take long to produce results, but the waiting game to be tested is the problem, he said. And in the interim, Manam said people should limit their contact with the outside world.

What if I get coronavirus?

If you test positive for it, chances are the virus will run its course, Manam said, but advised you maintain regular contact with your doctor, and said many may be able to heal at home.

"The majority of people will be fine," he said. "Everybody has to be following the guidelines through, making sure they're safe and their family is at home."

If you contract COVID-19, Manam said avoid elderly people or those who are immunocompromised.

When should I take the test and how do I get one?

If a person suspects they may have coronavirus, they're advised to not go into a local hospital or clinic and ask for a test, nor should they walk into an area Quest Lab for one, Manam said.

If you suspect you may have COVID-19 (symptoms include higher fever and persistent cough, but not runny nose which can come with the flu), you should contact your primary care physician who can instruct you on next steps. You can also call the Northwestern Medicine coronavirus hotline 312-47-COVID.

Manam said turn-around times to get a result are 24 hours through the IDPH lab or 72 hours for QuestLabs. While you await your test results, you should isolate yourself and limit as much human-to-human contact as possible.

The health department will help determine who you've been in contact with (usually those in your home, or co-workers) who should also then self-isolate.

"Doing this is not to spread panic but to slow this virus down so everybody does not get sick at one time," Manam said.

Though DeKalb County doesn't have any confirmed cases as of Thursday, he said hospital workers are operating with heightened arrangements because of it. If you experience a medical emergency unrelated to coronavirus, you shouldn't be afraid to seek medical attention at the hospital.

He said it's not an overreaction to stay away form public places, and people shouldn't view it as a minor inconvenience is events are canceled.

"Even 1% of a large number is too much for institutions to handle," he said. "We're not built for that at this time. This is something. You've never seen the government come down so strong. It's not the media. You're looking at expert health officials."

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Northwestern Medicine Kish doctor: how to get tested for COVID-19 and why isolation matters - DeKalb Daily Chronicle

University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) has confirmed its first presumed positive case of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The patient is not affiliated with the University.

The University announced the case in an email to the University community from Kenneth Polonsky, Executive Vice President of the University for Biology and Medicine. Presumed positive means that theMedical Center is waiting on confirmation from the CDC.

A statement sent to The Maroon by Lorna Wong, the executive director of communications for UCM, said that the Medical Center is taking extensive precautions to keep the risk of infection low in the campus community.

Apatient from outside the University of Chicago has a presumed positive test for COVID-19 infection and is under care at the University of Chicago Medicine, with extensive precautions to maintain the communitys safety, Wong wrote. The Medical Center is awaiting confirmation from the CDC, which is expected in the coming days."

UCMhad previously admitted a patient suspected of having COVID-19on March 4. The patient, who was unaffiliated with the University, tested negative for the virus.

There are 46 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Illinois as of Friday, the Sun-Timesreported. Several city institutions have announced temporary closings, including the Field Museum and the Museum of Science and Industry.

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First Presumed Positive Case of COVID-19 Confirmed at UChicago Medicine - The Chicago Maroon

By COLLIN GALLANT on March 14, 2020.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com

The work of government will continue, southeast Albertas elected representatives stressed on Friday, as the legislative bodies considered suspending or altering proceedings to avoid transmitting of the coronavirus.

The House of Commons will not meet again until mid-April, and the Alberta Legislature suspended public visits on Thursday. The province is now evaluating whether to suspend the winter session that began in late February.

Three provincial and federal politicians that represent Medicine Hat said Friday they will sit as required, but understand measures that they limit risk.

The most important thing is Albertans take care of themselves and the Alberta government to help protect our communities, said Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes.

He said ministry work and service delivery will continue.

School tours and other group visits to the legislature grounds are now suspended and the public gallery is closed, though proceedings will still be broadcast.

In terms of local operations, Barnes said his office will remain open, but interactions will be limited as much as possible, on advice from health professionals. Personal appearances will also be cancelled on advice from legislature officials.

Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner MP Glen Motz said he will return to Medicine Hat this weekend. He said he is watching government actions and hopes to conduct business as normally as possible over the next five weeks.

Obviously its unusual, he said. You need to be prudent, but the public expects us to lead at this time.

But just because parliamentarians are away (from Ottawa) at this time, that doesnt mean public health officials and others wont be working hard.

If we get called back, well go back.

In Ottawa, MP duties involve not only sitting in the House for debate and votes, but interacting with staff, senior bureaucrats and industry leaders during committee work.

Motz said that when you add general travel schedules of all involved, and a large number of public visitors to parliament buildings, the potential risk is great.

This week Alberta Health Services issued an advisory to cancel all events that might attract 250 or more people.

City meetings in Medicine Hat will continue as scheduled, though under Alberta Health guidelines and advisories to limit physical contact and increase cleanliness.

On Friday, city officials stated that public attendance is generally low.

While there are fewer than 90 MLAs in the relatively spacious legislature, the daily program involves a large number of support staff and office workers and top administrators congregating.

The Alberta Electrical System Operator announced Friday it would ban in-person meetings between its staff and stakeholders, and instead reschedule them for telephone or internet conferencing in the interest of health.

There are a lot of things that can be accomplished over the phone and internet that couldnt be done 20 years ago, said Motz, who plans to keep his office open but follow health officials directions.

A constituency open house that was planned for next week in Raymond may be reconsidered, he said.

Brooks-Medicine Hat Michaela Glasgo said the province should be united in its response to pandemic.

As always, I am grateful to those who are on the front lines dealing with this issue and protecting our public health, she wrote.

Both Motz and Barnes said eyes are now on the federal governments response, not only to the health crisis, but also a quickly worsening economic outlook.

The goal should be to get as much money in to the pockets of residents as soon as possible, said Barnes.

Solidarity in Ottawa

A unanimous vote and many messages of support for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is in isolation after his wife entered quarantine following a positive test.

As well on Friday, the union representing 120,000 federal workers announced it would suspend an ongoing strike vote among its members and would re-evaluate the situation on March 30.

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Elected officials promise functioning services from government - Medicine Hat News