UK considers gauging latent vCJD infection with tests on all postmortems
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The UK government is considering extending postmortem examinations with tests for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), in order to better gauge the extent of latent infection across the entire population. Concerned that 166 UK deaths to date may not reflect the true prevalence, with the significant risk that this poses to transmission through surgery and blood transfusion, the Department of Health (DoH) wants postmortems to include tests on tissues that are known to accumulate the prion protein responsible for vCJD, such as the spleen and the brain. Some 115,000 postmortems are ordered by coroners every year in England alone. The Coroners' Society for England and Wales has criticised the initiative as "inappropriate", but the Health Protection Agency and DoH are reportedly keen to develop the plans and are assessing the practical and legal implications.
You may also be interested in...
New EU Filings
Obecabtagene autoleucel, Autolus Therapeutics’s investigational treatment for relapsed or refractory B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia, is among the latest products that have been filed for review by the European Medicines Agency for potential EU marketing approval.
P&G Restores Volume Growth In Beauty, Grooming After Pricing Run
Procter & Gamble reports strong consumer spending in the US and Europe after a 3% increase in product pricing over the past year. Dragging on fiscal third-quarter results, sales of SK-II in China fell 30% for the January-March period, while lower incidence of cough and cold impacted Health Care performance.
BMS Has A Strong Pipeline, But Access Challenges Remain
Bristol Myers Squibb’s head of major markets, Monica Shaw, wants to improve patients’ access to lifesaving therapies. And the group has several new products ready to roll.