Seven days in medicine: 7-13 October 2020
BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3951 (Published 15 October 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m3951
Covid-19
Labour: infection rates rise in hotspots
Nineteen of 20 areas in England that have recently been under covid-19 lockdown restrictions for two months have seen an increase in infection rates despite those measures, an analysis by the Labour Party showed. Bolton, which has been under restrictions since 30 July, saw its infection rate rise from 20 to 255 people per 100 000. Bury and Burnley, both under restrictions since 31 July, saw their infection rates increase from 20 to 266 per 100 000 (Bury) and from 21 to 434 per 100 000 (Burnley). (Full story doi:10.1136/bmj.m3912)
EU signs deal on remdesivir supply
The European Commission signed a deal with Gilead for enough doses of its remdesivir drug to treat 500 000 patients in 36 countries, including the UK. A global shortage has arisen after the US bought up all stocks from June to October. In May the UK government said that selected patients with covid-19 would be treated with remdesivir because of limited stocks,1 but it did not specify criteria. In Europe and the UK remdesivir is indicated for treatment of covid-19 in adult and adolescent patients with pneumonia requiring supplemental oxygen.
Cautious optimism for neutralising antibodies
Eli Lilly submitted a request to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorisation of its neutralising IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) bamlanivimab in higher risk patients with …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £184 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£50 / $60/ €56 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.