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The COVID-19 Death toll on rising once again
In the US, the daily death toll has risen to 2,200 deaths per day. The amount of coronavirus cases has also eclipsed, as 200,000 cases have been reported only yesterday. Total 285,000 fatalities have been caused by the pandemic and amount of infected Americans is reported to be 15 million. It is expected that the cases will further rise due to the gatherings at Christmas, New Year’s, and Thanksgiving.
Pfizer’s Vaccine has been evaluated and the vaccination program is expected to launch soon
On Tuesday, the initial scientific evaluation was released by the U.S. regulators of the coronavirus vaccine formulated by Pfizer. It was confirmed that the vaccine provides strong protection, which has almost convinced the U.S. government to launch the greatest vaccination program of American history.
The scientists from the Food and Drug Administration will have a meeting on Thursday. In this meeting, the independent advisers from the agency will discuss regarding if millions of U.S. citizens should be vaccinated with Pfizer’s vaccine based on the available evidence. Within a few days, it is expected the FDA will give an affirmative final decision and the vaccination program will be launched.
Pfizer opts for GDP-based pricing for the COVID Vaccine
On Tuesday, an online press conference was organized by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) in which the CEO and Chairman of Pfizer Inc., Albert Bourla, also spoke. He said that the basic idea while deciding the price of Pfizer’s vaccine was its quick availability to everyone.
Pfizer has decided to choose the tier pricing method. It means that the price of vaccines in developed countries will be according to their GDP, and the under-developed countries can purchase this vaccine at lower prices due to lower GDP. There will be no profit availed by Pfizer Inc. from the middle or low-income countries.
The price of the Pfizer vaccine is only USD 19.50 in the U.S., which makes it very affordable.
Statin and Placebo entail similar side effects
The latest study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has revealed that both statin and placebo medications entail alike side effects.
This study incorporated 60 people who were previously using statin treatment and stopped due to its side effects. These patients were provided four bottles containing a similar placebo medication and four bottles comprising 20mg atorvastatin.
The trial was completed after six months. A clinical researcher and cardiologist, James Howard, reported that 30 out of 60 participants started taking statins again. The study proved that people while taking statin treatment experienced the same side effects which they experienced when they consumed placebo tablets.Â
The un-recognized side effects of Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy
Dr. Reshma Jagsi is the deputy chairwoman of the radiation oncology department at the University of Michigan. Her latest study suggested that side effects felt by patients who are undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer are highly unrecognized.
Dr. Reshma Jagsi and her team observed 9,800 patients with breast cancer who were receiving radiation treatment after going through the surgical removal of cancerous tumors at 29 medical facilities throughout the state of Michigan. The common and unrecognized side effects of the treatment were pain, swelling, fatigue, and itchy skin.
She reported that approximately 5,500 patients reported one considerable side effect experienced during radiation treatment at least. Whereas, 53% of the total patients had at least under-recognized one out of all side effects.
