A Fourth Dairy Worker Has Contracted Avian Flu

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Today, the Colorado Division of Public Well being and Surroundings announced it had recognized a human an infection of avian flu. The individual in query, a dairy employee who labored with contaminated cattle, solely had delicate signs. That is the fourth avian flu an infection related to the multi-state outbreak being seen in cattle. Thus far, there are not any indicators of the flu spreading from person-to-person.

The information comes as motion is going on on this planet of avian flu vaccines. On Tuesday, Moderna introduced that it has secured $176 million in federal funding to develop mRNA vaccines towards H5N1. Earlier right this moment, GSK introduced that it was buying a number of mRNA vaccine candidates from CureVac, for Covid, seasonal flu in addition to avian flu in a deal price as much as $1.5 billion. These could turn into needed if avian flu adapts to people. Though the federal authorities has a stockpile of avian flu vaccines, it’s solely sufficient for about 10 million doses.

For extra about avian flu – in addition to different viruses spreading this summer season, together with new Covid variants and West Nile illness – try this Forbes Newsroom video that includes senior editor Alex Knapp.

This Biotech Startup Raised $12.5 Million To Discover Micro organism That Assist Combat Most cancers

Over the previous 20 years, immunotherapies have turn into a key software in docs’ arsenals for most cancers sufferers. This class of drug makes use of the physique’s personal immune system to assault tumors. However regardless of their rising utilization, checkpoint inhibitors — a kind of immunotherapy — are unsuccessful in lots of most cancers sufferers.

In some instances, this lack of response has to do with a affected person’s microbiome — the neighborhood of micro organism and different microorganisms that stay within the intestine. Kanvas Biosciences goals to supply a safer and simpler resolution: therapies that deploy microorganisms found with the startup’s novel spatial biology platform. This know-how explores particular interactions between the micro organism and immune cells in a affected person’s microbiome, which the corporate goals to make use of to enhance most cancers therapies. On Monday, the corporate introduced it had raised $12.5 million seed spherical with an eye fixed in direction of taking its first drug candidate to the clinic.

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Pipeline & Deal Updates

Digital Well being: Okay Well being, which has developed an AI-powered chatbot to assist docs diagnose and deal with main care sufferers sooner, has raised $50 million led by Claure Group at a $900 million valuation, according to Bloomberg, down from its 2021 peak valuation of $1.5 billion. A part of Okay Well being’s technique is working with hospitals to function an entry level for brand new and present sufferers to be looped into an even bigger system of care. Learn extra about Okay Well being’s work with Cedars-Sinai in Katie’s story from final yr.

Gene Remedy: Beacon Therapeutics, a biotech growing gene therapies to revive imaginative and prescient in sufferers with sure eye illnesses, raised a $170 million Sequence B spherical led by Forbion. The funds will go in direction of medical trials for 2 candidates for retinal illnesses.

Autoimmune: Holoclara, which is growing therapies for allergy symptoms and autoimmune problems which are derived from worm secretions, raised a $16 million series A. The funding will likely be used to additional develop its drug candidates, based mostly on its founder’s analysis that compounds excreted by parasitic worms blocked the formation of autoimmune illnesses in animal fashions.

COPD: Final week, the FDA approved ensifentrine, marketed by Verona Pharma as Ohtuvayre, an inhaled drug for the therapy of persistent obstructive pulmonary illness.

Scientific Trials: N-Energy Medication, which growing a platform for oncologists to raised handle affected person care in the course of the medical trial course of, introduced it has raised a $72 million series B round led by the Merck International well being Innovation Fund.

Telehealth: Walmart is promoting its digital care enterprise MeMD to healthtech startup Material for an undisclosed quantity. The deal comes two months after the retail large stated it might shut down 51 well being clinics and its telehealth operation.

Retail Care: Walgreens Boots Alliance is trying to cut back its funding within the medical clinic operator VillageMD after billions of {dollars} in losses and the necessity to concentrate on extra worthwhile ventures. The drug retailer chain additionally stated it plans to shut a whole bunch of “underperforming” shops and {that a} turnaround may take a number of “quarters, not months.” In the meantime, CVS Well being CEO Karen Lynch instructed Forbes the healthcare large is sticking with its growth technique for Oak Road Well being to open 50 to 60 clinics for seniors subsequent yr.

FDA Approves Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s Drug Donanemab

The FDA authorized Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug donanemab, following years of delays to get the experimental therapy to market. The delay adopted considerations that the drug’s advantages weren’t important sufficient relative to the uncomfortable side effects. The medical trials discovered contributors handled with donanemab had an as much as 39% decrease threat of their illness worsening in contrast with a placebo.

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Different Healthcare Information

The Supreme Courtroom will take into account the FDA’s robust restrictions on flavored e-cigarette merchandise in its subsequent time period.

There isn’t any proof of main start defects in infants born to moms vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna Covid vaccines in the course of the first trimester of being pregnant, in line with a examine in JAMA Pediatrics.

Individuals who use Ozempic or Wegovy could have an elevated threat of growing a uncommon type of blindness, in line with a examine revealed in JAMA Community, which Novo Nordisk has criticized for being inadequate.

President Biden is proposing new requirements to guard employees from excessive warmth as 2024 may form as much as be the most popular yr on report.

Throughout Forbes

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Elon Musk’s Laughable Resolution To Tesla’s Youngster Labor Worries

What Else We’re Studying

Not Everyone Loses Weight on Ozempic (Wired)

Why cancer risk declines sharply in old age (Nature)

How the Supreme Court has roiled U.S. health-care agencies (The Washington Post)