Introduction: Man infected with Helicobacter pylori leads to positive results for the whole family! AstraZeneca may consider exiting the COVID vaccine business... BioExploration keeps you updated on "pharmaceutical" news and explores the value of biotechnology with you!
01Man infected with Helicobacter pylori, resulting in the whole family testing positive!
Recently, Mr. Meng from Shanghai tested positive for Helicobacter pylori again during a health check-up. Previously, Mr. Meng had tested positive for Helicobacter pylori, after which all the elderly and children in his family were found to be infected and underwent eradication treatment. Surveys show that the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori in Chinese families is nearly 65%. Adolescents and children under the age of 18 are high-risk groups, with an overall infection rate of up to 20%, and a significant portion will remain infected for life.
Experts remind that in families with multiple children, the more children there are, the higher the chance of Helicobacter pylori infection. Multi-generational cohabitation can also increase the positive rate of Helicobacter pylori. If one person is infected, the whole family should be vigilant and get tested. The risk of reinfection after successful treatment of Helicobacter pylori is less than 5%.
02Chaos in the online sale of psychiatric drugs: Two yuan fifty cents per pill sold for four hundred yuan, leading to addiction
Recently, according to the Legal Daily, a reporter followed the guidance of online advertisements, added the contact information of sales personnel, and communicated on a certain chat software. After briefly describing the requirements, the other party promptly quoted a price and promised that it was absolutely genuine medicine, refusing any bargaining. "You need to crush the drug, dissolve it in water, and add it to something drinkable, preferably alcohol, which can also alleviate physical discomfort the next day." After expressing the intention to purchase, the other party introduced the method of taking it in detail.
It is reported that "Stilnox", with the generic name "Zolpidem Tartrate Tablets", is a controlled psychotropic drug in China, used for the treatment of severe sleep disorders. It can only be obtained at the pharmacy window with a doctor's prescription. A box of the drug is sold for 50 yuan in hospitals, with 20 tablets per box, while on the black market, 3 tablets are sold for 1200 yuan.
03PLOS: Sleep Deprivation Makes People More Selfish
On August 23, a study on sleep and prosocial cognitive networks in the brain was published in PLOS Biology. The research team found that whether it was a full night of insomnia or losing an hour of sleep due to jet lag, people reduced their behavior of helping others.
The researchers designed three sets of experiments: First, after a night of normal sleep and a night of total sleep deprivation, the participants' willingness to help others and brain activity were assessed through questionnaires and fMRI. Second, sleep duration and quality were calculated based on sleep records, and the participants' willingness to help others was evaluated through questionnaires. Additionally, social donation data in the U.S. during the weeks before and after the change to daylight saving time were analyzed. The first two experiments showed that sleep deprivation suppressed the activity of the prosocial cognitive network in the brain, and the participants' willingness to help others significantly decreased in the questionnaire. The donation data revealed that after the change to daylight saving time in the U.S., social donations decreased by 10%.
04AstraZeneca May Consider Exiting COVID Vaccine Business
Recently, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot indicated that the company might consider exiting the vaccine business. Despite developing one of the first COVID-19 vaccines to gain global regulatory approval, its vaccine Vaxzevria faced production and delivery delays in Europe and was linked to rare cases of blood clots in a small number of recipients. In an interview with Reuters, Soriot mentioned that, considering various factors, the company may focus on expanding its portfolio of antibody treatments, including those for COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus, and other infectious diseases.
This is not the first company considering exiting the COVID vaccine business. Regeneron's REGEN-COV was proven ineffective against the omicron variant, causing its sales to drop from $2.59 billion in the second quarter of last year to $0 this year. As a result, during the earnings call, Regeneron announced it is canceling four clinical trials involving the antibody cocktail.
05CSPC 2022 Half-Year Report, Revenue of 15.61 Billion Yuan
On August 24, CSPC Pharmaceutical Group released its 2022 half-year report: As of June 30, 2022, the company achieved a revenue of 15.61 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 12.9%; net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 2.966 billion yuan, with earnings per share of 0.25 yuan. By business segment, revenues from finished drugs, raw material products, functional foods, and others were 12.29 billion yuan, 2.35 billion yuan, and 0.96 billion yuan, respectively.
Compiled by | Qiaowei Jun
Typesetting | Qiao Weijun
