1/ Great thread here by my old friend @CharlesBHolmes.
Regeneron's press release (not a study!) didn't comment on side-effects. With other monoclonal antibodies, side-effects have included fever, chills, weakness, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, & rash.
2/ More severe side-effects may include: life-threatening anaphylaxis, cytokine release syndrome (also caused by COVID), cardiac toxicity, clotting dysfunction, immune-related effects, infections, autoimmunity, and off-target effects.
3/ The Regeneron monoclonal antibody cocktail is so new we don't yet have data on its side-effects. And it hasn't been tested in older patients, like the president.
4/ Yes, monoclonal antibodies are a promising approach for the treatment of COVID (more here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s1e…), but I find it perplexing that such an experimental drug with unknown risk profile would be given to the president.
5/ I also think it's strange that the decision to treat the president with monoclonal antibodies was made without consultation with an infectious disease specialist or members of the WH Coronavirus Taskforce, who are among the world's leading experts (e.g. Dr. Fauci).
6/ It's certainly possible that the president's decompensation and need for hospitalization could be due to the monoclonal antibody cocktail, but in the absence of information and transparency on the part of the WH, it's impossible to know.
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1/ RFK Jr. to lead @HHSGov US Dept of Health & Human Services
with @AdrianaDiaz & @tonydokoupil on @CBSMornings
2/ Kennedy has criticized multiple public health agencies he could now lead.
He's said the @US_FDA's "war on public health is about to end," claiming the agency suppresses anything that "advances human health & can't be patented" by pharmaceutical companies.
3/ But Kennedy's statement demonstrates a common misunderstanding about public health authorities in te US.
We are the United States of America — public health powers reside at the state level.
1/ A new report from the American Association for Cancer Research @AACR finds that excessive alcohol use is a risk factor for at least 6 cancers.
with @GayleKing @vladduthiersCBS @tonydokoupil
2/ Heavy drinking is associated with an increased risk of:
🔹head & neck cancer
🔹esophageal cancer
🔹stomach cancer
🔹liver cancer
🔹colorectal cancer
🔹breast cancer
3/ Drinking during pregnancy can also increase the risk of leukemia later in childhood.
At least 5% of cancers are attributable to alcohol.
1/ Yesterday, the @WHO declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
This is the 2nd time in 2 years that the WHO has declared a PHEIC for mpox.
with @vladduthiersCBS on @CBSMornings
2/ There have already been more than 17K cases in Africa so far this year – more than the total for all of last year.
3/ @WHO announces a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) when there is a significant risk to global health & it requires an internationally coordinated response.
A PHEIC:
🔹helps marshal funding for a public health response
🔹pressures governments to act
2/ A new study published in the JAMA Health Forum yesterday found that:
🔹mask requirements & vaccine mandates were associated with ⬇️ deaths
🔹prohibitions on vaccine or mask mandates were associated with ⬆️death rates
1/ New Hope Against Dementia: study says singles vaccine also appears to delay onset of dementia
with @CBSMornings' @tonydokoupil @AdrianaDiaz @nateburleson
2/ A study published yesterday in Nature Medicine found that the new Shingrix vaccine was more protective than the old Zostavax vaccine in delaying dementia.
The Zostavax shingles vaccine was discontinued after the Shingrix vaccine was approved.