The News Not Noise Letter: News That Doesn't Suck
Positive news for global health. Plus: firefighters hit the right notes, and are aliens interested in France?
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Based on the comments I’ve been getting lately, it’s clear that many in this community are anxious about the state of the world. Some of you sound increasingly cynical about the willingness of humans to work together to create positive change. We get it. The news can be demotivating every now and then. So today we are focusing on a few fantastic medical news stories. These are positive signs of progress that are only possible through collaborative human effort. It’s an important reminder that we still work together to improve one another’s lives.
And it’s Friday, so we have a few fun stories including a home visit from outer space.
Here’s some news that doesn’t suck:
The Internet Is Good Sometimes: Occasionally, one name keeps popping up in all the work you do. This week that name is John Green. Author and YouTuber John Green (yes, that John Green, and also that John Green, he’s the same guy) is perhaps best known for the book The Fault in Our Stars. But he’s so much more than a YA author. Earlier this week I posted about the Anthropocene (in sum: some scientists say we’ve entered a new geological era in which human impact drives environmental changes. You can read about it here). Many of you messaged me to say that John Green, the author, predicted this 10 years ago! Well, he’s in the news yet again on the medical front: Green led a massive social media pressure campaign urging Johnson & Johnson not to “evergreen” their patent on a crucial tuberculosis medication called bedaquiline, and it worked. Through the power of Instagram comments, Tweets, and Facebook posts, Green’s fanbase (and other anti-tuberculosis crusaders) successfully pressured Johnson & Johnson to allow a nonprofit to distribute generic versions of bedaquiline to low- and middle-income countries. This will drastically expand access in countries with high rates of tuberculosis, saving millions of lives. Here’s the backstory: though many of us think of tuberculosis as a disease of the past, it remains a leading cause of infectious disease deaths worldwide, despite being highly preventable and treatable. Johnson & Johnson held a patent on bedaquiline, the critical treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, which was set to expire on July 18. Through some convoluted legal loopholes, the company started to enforce a secondary patent, effectively keeping a monopoly on drug distribution and prioritizing corporate profits over lives. After Green’s fans swamped J&J’s social media pages with complaints, the company finally agreed to allow distribution of generics. It’s a great example of a public figure and a dedicated community using the power of social media for a lifesaving cause. Go Green!
An End to AIDS? When I was growing up AIDS was an unknown, seemingly out-of-control threat that took precious lives and terrified generations of young people. Through global work, doctors, researchers, and community health advocates have made extraordinary progress with new treatments and prevention methods. The disease that was once a death sentence is now a highly manageable chronic condition. This week the UN announced a milestone that seemed unthinkable not long ago: the public health threat of AIDS could be eradicated by 2030. That means, in theory, by 2030 people will no longer contract the disease and — thanks to effective and readily available treatments — those who have HIV will not advance to full blown AIDS. Why? Modern medications reduce patients’ viral load so significantly that, so long as they take their medications as prescribed, they can no longer transmit the virus to others. And those who have HIV worldwide are receiving treatment. In fact, five countries (Botswana, Rwanda, Eswatini, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe) reached a public health milestone UNAIDS calls “95-95-95” in 2022. This means that 95% of people living with HIV know their status, that 95% of those people are receiving antiretroviral treatment, and 95% of those people are virally suppressed (meaning they can “live long, healthy lives and… have zero risk of transmitting HIV sexually”). An additional sixteen countries are close to reaching this goal. As a result of all this, AIDS could cease to be the threat we’ve known it as, in a few short years; the caveat is there must be adequate public health funding. You can read more positive news about progress on HIV/AIDS in the UNAIDS report here.
Alzheimer’s Breakthrough: Lately, there’s been a bunch of positive news around Alzheimer’s treatments – here’s more. Just weeks after the FDA approved a groundbreaking Alzheimer’s drug called Leqembi, a study of a new drug called donanemab shows it’s even more effective at treating early stages of Alzheimer’s — with fewer long-term side effects. The precise cause and mechanism of Alzheimer’s aren’t yet understood, but doctors know that Alzheimer’s patients often have buildups of a substance called amyloid that forms plaques in the brain. Donanemab targets these plaques, clearing them from the brain. When patients were treated with donanemab early enough in the progression of the disease, their Alzheimer’s progression was slowed by about 35%. This is huge — it means these patients retain more memory and cognitive function for longer. And even more promisingly, patients continue to benefit from donanemab even after stopping injections, meaning they don’t have to repeat treatments as frequently as they might with other drugs, thus experiencing fewer side effects. Medications like donanemab work best when administered to patients in very early stages of Alzheimer’s and are more effective on patients below the age of 75.
Fighting Fire With Style: As the wildfires in Canada continue to rage, a group of dancing South African firefighters have traveled to the frontlines, lending their services to their Canadian counterparts and boosting morale while they’re at it. South Africa’s wildfire agency, Working on Fire, has deployed over 400 firefighters to Canada so far this summer as the 2023 wildfire season continues breaking records. This is the fifth time Working on Fire has deployed firefighters to Canada, and each time, they celebrate their arrival with singing and dancing to help buoy the spirits of the firefighters already on the ground, along with additional help fighting fires. See the South African team celebrate their arrival at the Edmonton International Airport here:
Paying subscribers get an additional item – today it’s about a woman whose morning coffee break was interrupted by a visitor from space – and a few fun social posts. To those who signed up, thank you for your support! It truly makes all the difference in the world.
