Pfizer’s anti-COVID pill Paxlovid shows no benefit for younger adults

Pfizer’s anti-COVID pill Paxlovid shows no benefit for younger adults

The report’s authors found that Pfizer’s antiviral medication Paxlovid offered little to no benefit for younger adults. However, it did reduce the risk of hospitalization for high-risk seniors. Notably, supplementary material from the original study of Paxlovid in high-risk non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19 during the Delta wave had demonstrated benefits in those younger than 65, albeit the difference compared to the placebo was much less than in those 65 and older.

Among those over 65, there was a 73 percent decrease in the hospitalization rate and a 79 percent reduction in the risk of death. However, patients between the ages of 40 and 65 saw no benefit in taking the antiviral medication in either category, regardless of previous immunity status.

Another critical study from Hong Kong published in Lancet Infectious Diseases on the same day as the Israeli study but which went unmentioned in the press offered further evidence of Paxlovid’s limited therapeutic role. The authors reviewed their clinical experience with Paxlovid and Lagevrio, Merck’s antiviral pill, Molnupiravir, in hospitalized patients. They compared them to hospitalized patients who did not receive those medications during the horrific wave of infections that slammed into the semi-autonomous region in February and March.

The mortality risk reduction for Lagevrio was 52 percent, and for Paxlovid it was 66 percent. Those receiving antivirals had a lower risk of their disease progressing, but the drugs did not significantly impact their need for mechanical ventilation or ICU admission. The patients in the study averaged in age from mid-70s to early 80s.

Given the results of these studies, it bears mentioning that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently estimated that approximately 95 percent of Americans aged 16 and older have some level of immunity against COVID-19.

Biden Administration Announces All Publicly Funded Research Should Be Available For Free To The Public

Here’s some amazingly good news amidst all of the nonsense of late. On Thursday, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) at the White House announced that they were updating policy guidance to mandate that all taxpayer-supported research should be immediately available to the public at no cost. According to the actual policy guidelines, US departments and agencies have until the end of 2025 to make this change (though, it’s not clear that there’s any remedy if they don’t). This is really huge — and it seems to have come out of nowhere.

Of course, it also wouldn’t surprise me if Congress comes back with bills to lock up such research again — or a future administration flip flops on this. But… for now… good news!

Huge News: Biden Administration Announces All Publicly Funded Research Should Be Available For Free To The Public

US Congress could consider whether or not to condition US aid to India on improvements in human rights, civil liberties

Members of the US Congress could consider whether or not to condition future American aid to India on improvements in human rights and civil liberties in the country, an independent and bipartisan congressional research body has said.The Biden Administration has requested USD 117 million in foreign assistance to India for FY 2023.

US Congress could consider whether or not to condition US aid to India on improvements in human rights, civil liberties

Related:

https://youtu.be/wjXVthm0qpI

USAID chief Samantha Power holds talks with govt functionaries

The USAID said Ms. Power met with civil society representatives in Delhi on July 26 to discuss freedom of expression, speech, identity, and the importance of protecting the rights of minority groups.

“The Administrator underscored the United States’ continued commitment to work with civil society organisations around the globe to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms,” acting spokesperson of USAID Shejal Pulivarti said.

4yo Boy Kicked Out of School, Police Called — Because He Wasn’t Wearing a Mask

4yo Boy Kicked Out of School, Police Called — Because He Wasn’t Wearing a Mask

Highlighting the utter insanity of these policies is the fact that the very next day, the district switched their stance. The day before, it was illegal to enter the school without a mask but now, 24 hours later, it was no longer illegal.

Even the WHO says children under 5 don’t need to wear masks!

UK: State-sponsored behavioural science

The ubiquitous deployment of behavioural-science techniques – ‘nudges’ – to increase compliance with both covid-19 restrictions and the vaccine rollout has raised major ethical concerns. Particularly alarming has been the state’s strategic use of fear (or ‘affect’ in the language of behavioural science), shaming (‘ego’) and peer pressure (‘norms’). The tentacles of behavioural science have extended beyond the arena of pandemic management and into many other areas of day-to-day life, including debt collection and the green agenda. Given their widespread prevalence and the profound ethical questions associated with them, it is imperative that the Government’s deployment of these powerful techniques adheres to a robust and transparent ethical framework. Alarmingly, politicians and state-sponsored behavioural scientists have – to date – displayed a stubborn reluctance to discuss these issues.

State-sponsored behavioural science