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7/29 News Roundup & OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on July 29, 2020 by BennyJuly 29, 2020

Will vaccine trials reflect America’s diversity?

In a summer dominated by COVID-19 and protests against racial injustice, there are growing demands that drugmakers and investigators ensure that vaccine trials reflect the entire community.

“If Black people have been the victims of COVID-19, we’re going to be the key to unlocking the mystery of COVID-19,” said the Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, a coalition of 150,000 African American churches.

Evans and his team met in mid-July with officials from Moderna, the Massachusetts biotech firm that launched the first COVID vaccine trial in the U.S., to discuss a collaboration in which NBCI would supply African American participants. But that was less than two weeks before the start of a phase 3 trial expected to enroll 30,000 people, and Evans said the meeting was his idea.

“It’s not that the industry came to me,” he said. “I went to the industry.”

Blacks make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population but on average 5 percent of clinical trial participants, research shows. For Hispanics, trial participation is about 1 percent on average, though they account for about 18 percent of the population.

When it comes to trials for drug treatments and vaccines, diversity matters. For reasons not always fully understood, people of different races and ethnicities can respond differently to drugs or therapies, research shows. Immune response wanes with age, so there’s a high-dose flu shot for people 65 and older.

Still, the pressure to produce an effective vaccine quickly during a pandemic could sideline efforts to ensure diversity, said Dr. Kathryn Stephenson, director of the clinical trials unit in the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

“One of the questions that has come up is, What do you do if you’re a site investigator and you have 250 people banging on your door — and they’re all white?” she said.

Do you enroll those people, reasoning that the faster the trial progresses, the faster a vaccine will be available for everyone? Or do you turn away people and slow down the study?

“You’re accelerating development of a vaccine, and if you hit a milestone, what is the meaning of that milestone if you don’t know if it’s very safe or effective in [a given] population? Is that really hitting the milestone for everyone?” she said.

Including people who are elderly or have underlying medical conditions is vital to the science of vaccines and other treatments, even if it’s more difficult to recruit patients otherwise healthy enough to participate, advocates said.

“We have to admit that older adults are the ones who are likely to develop side effects” to treatments and vaccines, said Dr. Sharon Inouye, director of the Aging Brain Center and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “On the other hand, that is the population that will be using it.”

People with kidney disease, which affects 1 in 7 U.S. adults, have been left out of clinical research for decades, said Richard Knight, a transplant recipient and president of the American Association of Kidney Patients. Nearly 70 percent of more than 400 kidney disease patients the organization surveyed in July said they’d never been asked to join a clinical trial.

Excluding from the vaccine trial such a large population vulnerable to COVID doesn’t make sense, Knight contended. “If you’re trying to manage this from a public health standpoint, you want to make sure you’re inoculating your highest-risk populations,” he said.

New guidance from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which regulates vaccines, “strongly encourages” the inclusion of diverse populations in clinical vaccine development. That includes racial and ethnic minorities, elderly people and those with underlying medical problems, as well as pregnant women.

But the FDA does not require drugmakers and researchers to meet those goals, and will not refuse trial data that doesn’t comply. And while the federal government is rushing billions of dollars to fast-track more than a half-dozen leading candidates for COVID vaccines, the pharmaceutical firms producing them are not required to publicly disclose their demographic goals.

“This is business as usual,” said Marjorie Speers, executive director of Clinical Research Pathways, a nonprofit group in Atlanta that works to increase diversity in research. “It’s very likely these [COVID] trials will not include minorities because there’s not a strong statement to do that.”

The vaccine trials are being coordinated through the COVID-19 Prevention Network, or CoVPN, based at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. It draws on four long-standing federally funded clinical trial networks, including three that target HIV and AIDS.

Those trial networks were chosen in large part because they have rich relationships in Black, Latino and other minority communities, said Stephaun Wallace, director of external relations for CoVPN. The hope is to leverage existing connections based on trust and collaboration.

“Our clinical trial sites are prepped and ready to engage diverse people,” Wallace said.

Wallace acknowledged, however, that attracting a diverse population requires investigators to be flexible and innovative. There can be practical problems. Clinic hours may be limited or transportation may be an issue. Older people may have problems with sight or hearing and require extra help to follow protocols.

Distrust of the medical establishment also can be a barrier. African Americans, for instance, have a well-founded wariness of medical experiments after the infamous Tuskegee Study and the exploitation of Henrietta Lacks. That extends to suspicion about recommended vaccines, said Wallace.

“Part of the consideration for many groups is not wanting to feel like a guinea pig or feel like they’re being experimented on,” he said.

Moderna, which launched its phase 3 trial Monday, said the company is working to ensure participants “are representative of the communities at highest risk for COVID-19 and of our diverse society.”

However, results of the company’s phase 1 trial, released in mid-July, showed that of 45 people included in that safety test, six were Hispanic, two were Black, one was Asian and one was Native American. Forty were white.

Phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials aim to test the best dose and safety of vaccines in small groups of people. Phase 3 trials assess the efficacy of the drug in tens of thousands of people.

Investigators at nearly 90 sites across the U.S. are preparing now to recruit participants for Moderna’s phase 3 trial. Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean at the Emory University School of Medicine, will seek 750 volunteers at three Atlanta-area sites. Half will receive the vaccine; half, placebo injections.

Del Rio has had marked success recruiting minorities for HIV trials and expects similar results with the vaccine trial. “We’re trying to do our best to get out to the communities that are most at risk,” he said.

Meanwhile, vaccine volunteers like Cisneros just want the advanced trials to start. He signed up for the CoVPN trials. But earlier, he also signed up for 1 Day Sooner, an effort to launch human challenge trials, which aim to speed up vaccine development by deliberately infecting participants with the virus. Such trials can be completed in weeks rather than months but risk exposing volunteers to severe illness or death, and federal officials remain leery.

Cisneros is willing to take that risk to help halt COVID-19, which has killed 143,000 Americans. He said it’s a way to take action at a time when the U.S. government has failed to protect minorities, the elderly and other vulnerable people.

“Government is supposed to help those who can’t protect themselves,” he said. “It appears to me the only thing they want to protect is people with money, people with guns — and not brown people like me.”

Indian Country Today notes that Moderna’s phase 1 vaccine trial, which started early this month, included only one Native American.

Join us for more news, tweets, videos in the comments section.

Posted in Activism, grassroots, Uncategorized | Tagged COVID19, Diversity, Healthcare, Native Americans, News Roundup, vaccines

4/3 TGIF: Bernie Appears on MSNBC, CNN, Maher; Evening OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on April 3, 2020 by BennyApril 3, 2020

Bernie had three appearances scheduled today to discuss his coronavirus plan.

"We have got to respond to this unprecedented crisis in an unprecedented way, and I think the European approach is exactly the right approach… even if they're not working, we will cover a full paycheck for the next 6 months."@BernieSanders on @AliVelshi pic.twitter.com/9vbHqJThKR

— Ben Hallman (@nowandben) April 3, 2020

When the interview with Anderson Cooper appears, that will be posted here.

For people who have HBO, this should be a good show. https://t.co/O1Yol2zb9Q

— Levi Sanders (@Celentra) April 4, 2020

Trump’s handling of #coronavirus worthy of impeachment. “I find one of the most galling parts of this is that the president is favoring certain states over the others.” @BillMaher: “To me this is an even more impeachable offense than what he did in Ukraine or Russia.” #RealTime pic.twitter.com/sYp5gwdKMi

— Brent Baker (@BrentHBaker) April 4, 2020

TGIF! Bar is open! Tweets, videos, and jibber-jabber in the comments to go with the beverages!

This is the official drink of Wisconsin. We’ll add some music from Clyde Stubblefield who was the drummer for James Brown. And he was a native of Wisconsin.

Posted in 2020 Elections | Tagged Bernie Sanders, COVID-19, Healthcare, Income Inequality

1/31 TGIF “Berniestock”, Hot Toddies & Mocktail Hour/OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on January 31, 2020 by BennyJanuary 31, 2020

“If I had Medicare for All in 2012, I’d still be working. I wouldn’t be sitting here dying in my own home. And I don’t want that to happen to anybody else." –Jim Williams pic.twitter.com/FbvjpkMmle

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 31, 2020

Good news Jim! The Progressive Wing agrees with you that Bernie is willing to fight for healthcare as an American right, but that all countries should offer it if they can. We know our country can afford it.

Quite the turnout for Berniestock featuring Bon Iver, though it’s still TBD whether Sanders himself will make it tonight from the Senate trial. pic.twitter.com/5KB6y1s1Rw

— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) February 1, 2020

DNC Up to New Bullshite today…

DNC chair Tom Perez on his reasoning for not holding a climate debate because it violated agreed-to rules about the (left) vs. the DNC changing agreed-to debate rules to accommodate a billionaire (right) 🤔 pic.twitter.com/U4Xunxz9Zu

— Kate Aronoff (@KateAronoff) January 31, 2020

The whole idea behind the current formula was to winnow the number, not add.

So now that Bernie Sanders is the frontrunner, the DNC is changing its debate rules mid-primary, eliminating the small donor threshold to let Bloomberg buy his way onto the stage.

Bloomberg’s surrogates are openly admitting he’s running as a Sanders spoiler.

Here we go again. https://t.co/WqGTuQijKo

— Emma Vigeland (@EmmaVigeland) January 31, 2020

Meantime, some current and former Justice Dems are helping on the ground in Iowa for Bernie’s campaign:

On the trail for @BernieSanders. #3Days #IowaCaucus @Ilhan pic.twitter.com/QEKYU58IEd

— Brent Welder (@BrentWelder) January 31, 2020

Bar will be open soon. Stay tuned! Meantime, more tweets, videos, articles in the comments section. Come join us!

Posted in 2020 Elections, grassroots | Tagged Bernie Sanders, Brent Welder, DNC, Healthcare, Ilhan Omar, Justice Democrats, MFA

1/27 Bernie Releases New Iowa Ad: “Generations” & Afternoon OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on January 27, 2020 by BennyJanuary 27, 2020

I like the way this is parsed.

Speaking of generations.

BREAKING: 30 @CCIAction and @IAStudentAction members are refusing to leave @JoeBiden’s statewide headquarters in Des Moines over his lies about #MedicareForAll and his ties to the insurance company CEOs who are funding his campaign. pic.twitter.com/95qJWFv3x6

— Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action (@CCIAction) January 27, 2020

Meantime, Sanders is releasing some ads in NV, one of them brand new. Here’s “Nuestro Futuro”, en Espanol.

More tweets, videos, article summaries in the comments. Please join us!

Posted in 2020 Elections, grassroots | Tagged Bernie Sanders, Healthcare, MFA

Pelosi, Schumer & Sanders Talk Prescription Prices

The Progressive Wing Posted on May 11, 2018 by LieparDestinMay 11, 2018

Pelosi, Schumer, Sanders, Warner and DEMS Talk Prescription Prices:

https://youtu.be/KEnKeGLwzCE

Bernie speaks at the 18 minute mark, or you can watch his segment of the event here.

Posted in Bernie Sanders, Democrats, Healthcare | Tagged Bernie Sanders, Chuck Schumer, Democrats, Healthcare, Nancy Pelosi, prescription prices

4/13 News Roundup – Sanders To Progressives: “Ignore Consultants, Follow Your Gut’; Single Payer Continues To Surge & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on April 13, 2018 by LieparDestinApril 13, 2018

Bernie Sanders urges liberal candidates to ignore consultants, follow their guts

Speaking to a room packed with progressives running for state and local office, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., advised the first-time candidates to ignore the political establishment and trust their guts.

Crediting the movement catalyzed by his 2016 Democratic presidential campaign, Sanders said the policies of Medicare for all, free college tuition, a $15 dollar minimum wage, criminal justice reform, and legalizing marijuana are now “mainstream” among Democrats.

“What was once considered radical is now mainstream,” Sanders said Thursday to cheers at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington.

Sanders bashed the political establishment and the press repeatedly throughout his speech. The media, Sanders said, plays a “destructive” game by telling the “American people that politics is too complicated, you can’t get involved, you don’t know how to run for office.”

..

The former presidential contender encouraged the candidates, who are in Washington for four days of training, to embrace a progressive agenda even if they’re running in red or purple states.

“Let me give you a warning here: Watch out for consultants,” he said to laughs. “Often their advice is conservative and wrong. Trust your own guts, trust your own instincts.”

The training, put on by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Sanders’ Our Revolution, includes four days of helping candidates craft their public persona, how to pitch reporters, building field operations, do-it-yourself opposition research, and budgeting.

More news/video/tweets/etc. in the comments.

Posted in Activism, Bernie Sanders, grassroots, Healthcare, Medicare For All, News, Open Thread, Our Revolution, Video | Tagged Bernie Sanders, Beto O'Rourke, Healthcare, Medicare for All, News, Nina Turner, Open Thread, Single Payer

3/22 News Roundup – Warren Introduces Bill To Curb Pain Of For Profit Healthcare System; Climate Science On Trial & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on March 22, 2018 by LieparDestinMarch 22, 2018

‘We Need Medicare for All,’ Says Warren, But Until That’s Achieved Her New Bill Aims to Curb Pain of For-Profit System

Acknowledging that Medicare for All must be the end goal for an ultra-wealthy nation in which tens of thousands die each year due to lack of health insurance, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced legislation on Wednesday aimed at making immediate fixes to the current system to protect consumers from the “nasty tricks” of the private insurance industry, lower prescription drug costs, and shield low-income families from premium hikes.

“So long as private health insurance exists, there is no reason to allow our health care to be held hostage by insurance companies that refuse to do better,” Warren said in a statement unveiled alongside her legislation, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). “Our bill will hold them accountable while significantly improving access to healthcare for millions of Americans.”

Warren is attempting to address problems in the short-term that are contributing to soaring healthcare costs and kicking Americans off their insurance entirely—from the Trump administration’s relentless sabotage efforts to the outlandish costs of prescription drugs.

Under Warren’s plan, for instance, insurance companies would “be barred from changing the kinds of drugs that they cover in the middle of the year, as well as how much of those drugs’ costs are born by consumers,” Marans notes. “Consumers would also be shielded from the effects of an insurer dropping a plan during their course of treatment.”

“Too many Americans have to battle with their insurance companies just to see their doctor or get a prescription filled,” Warren wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “We need a healthcare system that puts patients first—not insurance companies.”

Today I’m introducing the Consumer Health Insurance Protection Act with @SenSanders & our colleagues. We need #MedicareForAll – and until we get it, there's no reason private insurers can't provide coverage that lives up to the high standards of our public health care programs. pic.twitter.com/Ke7laLd164

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 21, 2018

More news/video/tweets/etc.

Posted in Bernie Sanders, Climate Change, Elizabeth Warren, Healthcare, Income Inequality, News, Open Thread | Tagged Bernie Sanders, Climate Change, climate science, Elizabeth Warren, Healthcare, News, Open Thread

3/14 News Roundup – Pipeline Protestors Decry State Surveillance, Texas Dems Worry Bigger Rifts Ahead With National Party & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on March 14, 2018 by LieparDestinMarch 14, 2018

Via DemocracyNow!: Critics of Bayou Bridge Pipeline in Louisiana Decry State & Company Surveillance of Protesters In Louisiana, newly disclosed documents reveal a state intelligence agency regularly spied on activists opposing construction of the Bayou Bridge pipeline, which would carry nearly a half-million barrels of oil per day across Louisiana’s wetlands. The documents show the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness regularly drafted intelligence memos on anti-pipeline activists, including a gathering of indigenous-led water protectors who’ve set up a protest encampment along the pipeline’s route. Other newly revealed documents show close coordination between Louisiana regulators and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Activism, DemocracyNow!, News, Oil/Gas Pipelines, Open Thread, Video | Tagged Healthcare, indigenous, Louisiana, News, Open Thread, Pipeline, Texas, Water Protectors

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