Most young people eager for COVID-19 vaccine: poll

 As older teens and young adults become eligible for COVID-19 vaccination across the country, and younger teens await their turn, new survey data suggest a strong readiness that has grown since fall.

But just as with older generations, a shrinking but still sizable minority of people age 14 to 24 say they're not willing to get vaccinated, or that their decision will depend on safety.

That makes it crucial for public health authorities, health care providers and others to create vaccination-related materials that reach young people in ways that are relevant to them.

The data, from the text-message-based MyVoice national survey of youth based at the University of Michigan, are published in a new paper in the Journal of Adolescent Medicine, and supplemented by new polling data just received in the past week.

Eric Brandt, M.D., M.H.S., lead author of the new paper, notes that in the first MyVoice survey in October 2020, 76% of the 911 teens and young adults said they were willing to get vaccinated, though that included 33% who said their ultimate decision would depend on additional information. At that time, 20% of young people said they were unwilling to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Brandt's colleague Stephen Gorga, M.D., has just finished analyzing data from MyVoice respondents who answered a repeat survey in late March 2021.

The percentage who say they're willing to get vaccinated, or already have been vaccinated, has risen to 84%. Nine percent of the total say they're willing but that their decision still depends on what they learn about the vaccine. That means that 75% are unconditionally willing to get the vaccine when it becomes available to them, or already have been vaccinated.

The percentage of people age 14 to 24 who say they are not willing or intending to get vaccinated is down to 15%.

"These data reassure us that most youth are willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they feel the vaccine is safe and effective," says Brandt. "But concerns about vaccine safety are still very much alive in this group."

He notes that the newest data were gathered before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its "pause" of use of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine due to a small number of cases of a rare blood clot condition in younger women who were among the first 6.7 million Americans to get the vaccine. The Astra-Zeneca vaccine, which is not available in the United States, has been paused in some countries because of clot concerns, too.

Currently, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has emergency approval for use in Americans age 16 and up, while the Moderna and J&J vaccines have such approval for people age 18 and up. The new MyVoice data were also gathered before Pfizer announced results from its study of its vaccine in people age 12 to 15, and its intention to see approval in this age group soon. Moderna has also just announced that enrollment in its clinical trial for ages 12 to 17 has been completed.

Other findings

In the new paper, Brandt and colleagues - including MyVoice director Tammy Chang, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., share other findings from the October poll.

At that time, Black young people were more than three times more likely than their white peers to say they weren't willing to get the vaccine when it became available. Meanwhile, young people of Asian descent were more likely than white or Black young people to say they'd get vaccinated.

As communications efforts shift to younger people, the study finds that organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization, are the preferred sources of vaccine information for 42% of young people, and that 32% said they would prefer to learn about the vaccine from a health professional such as a doctor, pharmacist or other provider or health care organization.

Among those who said in October that they weren't willing to get the vaccine, safety was the top concern, especially what some saw as an inadequate amount of time in testing. Only 2% mentioned conspiracy theories.

The role of younger people in spreading COVID-19, even if they generally have a lower risk of developing severe disease, makes it important to reach them with effective messages and transparent information and answers to their questions, Brandt says.

Special efforts to reach Black teens and young adults may be needed, because of the disproportionate risk they and their family members face. Otherwise, racial disparities already well-documented in COVID-19 outcomes may continue to increase.

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Brandt, Gorga and Chang are all members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. Brandt is a cardiologist at the U-M Frankel Cardiovascular Center; Gorga is a pediatrician at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Chang is a physician in the Department of Family Medicine.

In addition to them, the study's authors are Julia Rosenberg, M.D., M.H.S., Marika E. Waselewski, M.P.H., Xochitl Amaro and Jacob Wasag, M.D. The study was funded by the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research and the U-M Departments of Internal and Family Medicine.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/mm-u-myp041421.php

Dopamine could be used to prevent certain skin cancers

 New data published by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center -- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC -- James) suggests that an oral drug currently used in the clinical setting to treat neuromuscular diseases could also help prevent a common form of skin cancer caused by damage from ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation from the sun.

While this data was gathered from preclinical studies, senior author Sujit Basu, MD, PhD, says preliminary results in animal models are very promising and worthy of immediate further investigation through phase I human studies.

Basu and his colleagues reported their initial findings online ahead of print April 12 in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 5.4 million basal and squamous cell skin cancers are diagnosed annually in the United States. The disease typically recurs throughout a person's lifetime, and advanced disease can lead to physical disfiguration. These cancers are linked to the sun's damaging rays, and despite increased public awareness on sun safety precautions, rates of the disease have been increasing for many years.

Previous peer-reviewed, published studies have shown that dopamine receptors play a role in the development of cancerous tumors; however, their role in precancerous lesions is unknown.

In this new study, OSUCCC -- James researchers report data showing that the neurotransmitter/neurohormone dopamine, by activating its D2 receptors, can stop the development and progression of certain UVB-induced precancerous squamous skin cancers. Researchers also describe the molecular sequence of events that leads to cancer suppression.

"Cancer control experts have been stressing the importance of reducing exposure to the sun and practicing sun-safe habits for many years, but scientific data shows us that cumulative damage of UV rays ultimately leads to skin cancer for many people. Finding better ways to prevent these cancers from developing is critical to reduce the global burden of this disease," says Basu, a researcher with the OSUCCC -- James Translational Therapeutics Research Program and a professor of pathology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

"Our study suggests that a commonly used drug that activates specific dopamine receptors could help reduce squamous cell skin cancer recurrence and possibly even prevent the disease entirely. This is especially exciting because this is a drug that is already readily used in clinical settings and is relatively inexpensive. We are excited to continue momentum in this area of research," adds Basu.

The OSUCCC -- James is working on plans to begin further testing in a phase I experimental clinical trial in the coming months.

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Story Source:

Materials provided by Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Kai Lu, Madhavi Bhat, Sara Peters, Rita Mitra, Xiaokui Mo, Tatiana M. Oberyszyn, Partha S. Dasgupta, Sujit Basu. Dopamine prevents ultraviolet B-induced development and progression of premalignant cutaneous lesions through its D2 receptors. Cancer Prevention Research, 2021; canprevres.0052.2021 DOI: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-21-0052

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210413114050.htm

Blood clot risk higher from Covid than from J&J shot: vax trial veteran doc

 The risk of developing blood clots from Covid-19 is greater than the apparent likelihood of developing them from Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, Dr. Purvi Parikh told CNBC on Tuesday.

Parikh, a New York-based allergist and immunologist, has worked as an investigator for other Covid vaccine trials, including Pfizer.

Looking at Tuesday’s FDA recommendation to pause use of J&J’s one-shot vaccine through that prism, Parikh said the temporary halt indicates that regulators’ “safety checks and balances are working.”

“For now, I would be careful with any of these conspiracy theories and again with the panic,” said Parikh, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

“You’re much more likely to clot from the real Covid-19 virus, which is about 1 in 20 people hospitalized or even 1 in 100 recovering at home. That’s far more likely,” she added on “Squawk on the Street,” citing data from industry group Thrombosis Canada.

Parikh’s comments came hours after the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked states to temporarily stop administering J&J’s vaccine after six women in the U.S. who got it developed a rare but serious blood-clotting disorder. One of the recipients died, and another is in critical condition.

Nearly 7 million people have received the J&J shot. There are no other known cases besides the six being reported by federal health regulators. The J&J vaccine uses an adenovirus delivery system. An adenovirus is a common type of virus that typically causes mild cold symptoms.

Asked whether J&J’s vaccine could still be given to Americans while the six known cases of blood clots are investigated, Parikh said it’s best to halt them for now.

“They’re not revoking the emergency use authorization. They’re not saying that it’s a bad vaccine. Pauses are completely normal,” she explained. “As we vaccinate more people — millions versus tens of thousands in the clinical trials — these pauses will occur. I think they are the right move, that way we know for sure it’s safe to move forward.”

However, Parikh said that when looking “at the big picture” based on currently available information, “the benefits still far outweigh the risks of this vaccination.”

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters Tuesday there have not been any “red flag signals” from the two-shot vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna. Those two vaccines, the only other ones cleared for emergency use in the U.S., employ a new approach to vaccines that uses genetic material to provoke an immune response.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/13/blood-clots-more-likely-from-covid-than-jj-vaccine-dr-purvi-parikh.html

Bristol Myers Squibb Gets EU Approval for Renal Cell Carcinoma Treatment

 Bristol Myers Squibb Co. said Wednesday the European Commission has approved its drug nivolumab in combination with cabozantinib as a treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

The New York-based pharmaceutical company said the approval follows a Phase 3 trial result that showed the drug nivolumab, also known as Opdivo, in combination with Cabometyx--cabozantinib--significantly improved overall survival objective response rates compared to sunitinib--another cancer-treatment drug.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/BRISTOL-MYERS-SQUIBB-COMP-11877/news/Bristol-Myers-Squibb-Gets-EU-Approval-for-Renal-Cell-Carcinoma-Treatment-32970010/

Moderna COVID-19 shot production unlikely to rise significantly in next few months - CEO

 The pace of Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine production is unlikely to speed up markedly in the next few months, though the U.S. drugmaker expects output to have increased significantly by 2022, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

The U.S. government has urged Moderna to speed up its production and delivery schedules for the shots after it temporarily halted the shipment of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine amid reports that six women developed rare blood clots after getting the shot.

“Adding big chunks of capacity takes time,” Chief Executive Stephane Bancel said during a Wednesday investor call.

He added however that he expects recently announced investments in manufacturing capacity to “very materially” increase Moderna’s 2022 production.

Moderna is still on track to deliver between 700 million and one billion doses globally in 2021, Bancel said.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said on Tuesday that the United States has more than enough vaccine from Pfizer Inc and Moderna to keep up the pace of vaccinations with or without J&J’s doses.

Moderna said earlier this month that it is on track to meet delivery targets in Europe, which has also halted the rollout of J&J’s vaccine.

“We are going to reassess what we are doing with our manufacturing capacity based on what is happening in the marketplace and what is happening with other vaccines,” Bancel said.

Moderna is testing the use of smaller doses for booster shots that could result in greater production capacity in the future, as more people begin getting boosters rather than first-time inoculations, he added.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-moderna/moderna-covid-19-shot-production-unlikely-to-rise-significantly-in-next-few-months-ceo-idUSKBN2C12J3

U.S. advisory panel wary of ending pause on J&J COVID-19 vax

 Members of a U.S. health panel on Wednesday voiced concern over resuming vaccinations with Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 shot, even as a U.S. Food and Drug Administration scientist said warnings could mitigate the risk of rare but serious blood clots.

The panel is reviewing six reported cases of rare brain blood clots in women who received the J&J vaccine, a day after federal regulators paused its use to assess the issue.

Dr. Lynn Batha, an epidemiologist at the Minnesota health department, and several others spoke in favor of extending the pause to gather more safety information.

“By having more robust information, I think we can be more confident about how we talk about the safety of this vaccine,” she told other members of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel, which is considering whether to vote on a change in policy regarding the shot.

Earlier, the FDA’s deputy director for vaccine development, Doran Fink, told the CDC panel that his current thinking was that warning statements and communications from the federal agency would allow doctors to weigh risks and benefits of the vaccine.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-johnson-johnson-cd/u-s-advisory-panel-members-wary-of-ending-pause-on-jj-covid-19-vaccine-idUSKBN2C11LC

Amicus upped to Overweight from Hold by Cantor

 Target $17

https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=FOLD