Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2024
COVID-19 outcomes in haemopoietic stem cell transplant recipients in Western Australia: the value of vaccination and antiviral therapy.
Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) mortality rates among haemopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients are high, ranging between 20% and 40%. We prospectively evaluated the mortality outcomes of COVID-19 in Western Australian HSCT patients. ⋯ Two allogeneic HSCT patients were hospitalised for severe COVID-19; one patient died. Stringent healthcare, social isolation practices, aggressive vaccination programmes and rapid access to COVID-19 antivirals may have promoted mild COVID-19 illness in Western Australian HSCT patients, resulting in one of the lowest COVID-19 mortality rates in HSCT recipients worldwide.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2024
The increasing costs of medicines and their implications for patients, physicians and the health system.
Most new medicines entering the market are high-cost speciality drugs. These drugs can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per course of treatment and in some cases millions of dollars per dose. ⋯ While there is no doubt that breakthrough innovations have transformed clinical care in some disciplines, it is also true that cost is becoming one of the primary barriers to treatment access and that many new medicines do not provide value commensurate with their prices. This article examines pricing trends, the reasons for high prices and their implications for access and clinical practice.