Links:

• The BA.5 story - by Eric Topol - Ground Truths — The Omicron sub-variant BA.5 is the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen. It takes immune escape, already extensive, to the next level, and, as a function of that, enhanced transmissibility, well beyond Omicron (BA.1) and other Omicron family variants that we’ve seen (including BA.1.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, and BA.4). You could say it’s not so bad because there hasn’t been a marked rise in hospitalizations and deaths as we saw with Omicron, but that’s only because we had such a striking adverse impact from Omicron, for which there is at least some cross-immunity (BA.1 to BA.5). Here I will review (1) what we know about its biology; (2) its current status around the world; and (3) the ways we can defend against it.
• The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care: Topol MD, Eric: 9780465061839: Amazon.com: Books — How genomics, big data, and digital technology are revolutionizing every aspect of medicine, from physical exams to drug prescriptions to organ transplants
• Small Study on Rectal Cancer Results in Remission in Every Patient - The New York Times — The study was small, and experts say it needs to be replicated. But for 18 people with rectal cancer, the outcome led to “happy tears.”
• Milošev blog – Ne, dostarlimab nije čudesni lek protiv raka koji može da izleči svakoga — Svakih par godina, priča o o revolucionarnoj novoj studiji koja je pronašla lek protiv raka počne da kruži svim svetskim medijima, pa i srpskim. Pre četiri godine to je bila priča sa Stanforda koja je dobre rezultate na miševima predstavila kao nekakvo epohalno otkriće. To je bio tipičan primer nenamernog širenja zdravstvenih dezinformacija kao posledica lošeg prevoda i nepoznavanja konteksta. Najnovija priča je malo drugačija.
• Inside the Virus-Hunting Nonprofit at the Center of the Lab-Leak Controversy | Vanity Fair — Chasing scientific renown, grant dollars, and approval from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Peter Daszak transformed the environmental nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance into a government-funded sponsor of risky, cutting-edge virus research in both the U.S. and Wuhan, China. Drawing on more than 100,000 leaked documents, a V.F. investigation shows how an organization dedicated to preventing the next pandemic found itself suspected of helping start one.
• Amazon.com: Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom: 9780062338785: Eban, Katherine: Books — Many have hailed the widespread use of generic drugs as one of the most important public-health developments of the twenty-first century. Today, almost 90 percent of our pharmaceutical market is comprised of generics, the majority of which are manufactured overseas. We have been reassured by our doctors, our pharmacists and our regulators that generic drugs are identical to their brand-name counterparts, just less expensive. But is this really true?