Pemgarda Maintains Effectiveness Against Evolving SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Invivyd announced that new in vitro data confirms Pemgarda™ (pemivibart) continues to effectively neutralize the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant XEC. This underscores the monoclonal antibody’s ongoing effectiveness despite the virus’s evolving variants.The CDC reports that XEC and KP311 now account for 69% of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in the US as of December 21, 2024. Invivyd’s findings […]
Four Cases of Measles Confirmed in Texas
On January 30, The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) announced the third and fourth cases of measles in Texas. These most recent cases were in unvaccinated school age children who were hospitalized in Lubbock, Texas, and have since been discharged. DSHS is supporting the South Plains Public Health District and Lubbock Public Health […]
Enhancing Air Quality and Controlling Infections on Cruise Ships
Prashant Kumar Image credits: University of Surrey The Caribbean cruise season typically runs from late fall to spring, while the UK/EU cruise season spans from late spring to early fall, bringing millions of passengers aboard ships each year. While cruising provides a unique travel experience, maintaining indoor air quality (IAQ) and preventing the spread of […]
European Commission Authorizes ViiV Healthcare’s Long-Acting Injectable for Teens
Image credit: ViiV Healthcare On January 31, the European Commission authorized ViiV Healthcare’s cabotegravir (Vocabria), long-acting injection, in combination with Johnson & Johnson’s rilpivirine (Rekambys),long-acting injections for the treatment of HIV in teens 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 35 kg (77.16 lbs) who are virologically suppressed.1 “This authorization for Vocabria + Rekambys is an […]
Top 5 Infectious Disease News Stories Week of January 25-February 1
State of Kansas Reports Country’s Largest Tuberculosis Outbreak A tuberculosis (TB) outbreak is currently affecting Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas, with 60 active cases in Wyandotte County and 7 in Johnson County as of January 24. Additionally, 77 latent TB infections have been reported in Wyandotte County and 2 in Johnson County since 2024. […]
Shionogi Investigational RSV Antiviral Reaches Primary Endpoint for Phase 2 Trial
Yesterday, Shionogi, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, announced its novel investigational respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) oral antiviral candidate, S-337395, achieved its primary endpoint in a phase 2 clinical trial. In the highest dose group of S-337395, there was an 88.94% reduction in viral load (P<0.0001), and also a statistically significant improvement in clinical symptom scores.1 Trial […]
Challenges and Implications of the V Quinn TB Prevention Trial
The V Quinn trial assessed levofloxacin as a preventive treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in household contacts of MDR-TB patients in Vietnam. A total of 2041 participants were randomized to receive six months of daily levofloxacin or a placebo, with TB incidence as the primary endpoint. The study found no statistically significant difference in TB […]
Advancing STOP2030 Treatment in Global Health
The STOP2030 project in northwestern Argentina aims to develop more effective tools for controlling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), particularly soil-transmitted helminths (STH). The study tests a combination of albendazole and ivermectin, which has shown improved efficacy against several STH species, including those resistant to standard treatments like albendazole and mebendazole. The ultimate goal is to […]
Identifying Clinical Characteristics, Mortality in Aspergillosis in Nonimmunodeficiency Individuals
Under a magnification of 500X, this methenamine sliver-stained lung tissue specimen, revealed numerous darkly stained filaments of an Aspergillus sp. fungal organism, in a case of aspergillosis.Image credit: CDC Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a fungal infection caused by breathing spores from Aspergillus, a common mold.1 IPA has been primarily associated with patients with severe […]
Levofloxacin for Preventing Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Preventing drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in high-risk individuals, such as household contacts of patients with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), is a global health priority. The V Quinn trial evaluated the use of levofloxacin as a preventive treatment for TB in contact with individuals with rifampicin-resistant or MDR-TB in Vietnam. Out of 3948 individuals screened, 2041 were randomized, […]
