FDA Hopes New App Will Help With Treatment of Infectious Diseases

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a new app that will allow healthcare professionals to share new uses of FDA-approved drugs to treat difficult-to-treat infectious diseases.

FDA is hoping that by allowing members of the clinical community to share their experiences via the CURE ID app, this crowdsourcing platform will help guide new interventions and facilitate development of new drugs for neglected diseases.

The CURE ID app, described by the FDA as an "internet-based repository," is designed to capture clinical outcomes when medications are used for new indications, in new populations, in new doses or in new combinations. Caregivers complete a simple case report form about their experience using an approved product for an unapproved use.

The app also allows healthcare professionals to browse cases that have already been documented, including successful and unsuccessful treatments, and view relevant clinical trials and those open to enrollment at clinicaltrials.gov. Users can also participate in a treatment discussion forum with fellow providers globally.

In a news release, Dr. Amy Abernethy, FDA principal deputy commissioner, said, "Our hope is that this app will serve as a connector among major treatment centers, academics, private practitioners, government facilities and other healthcare professionals from around the world and ultimately get treatments to patients faster.”

CURE ID is a collaboration between the FDA and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

To download and use the CURE ID application, click here or download "CURE ID" from the App or Play Store.

Salmonella Outbreak Sickens Patients at Multiple PA Healthcare Facilities

An outbreak of Salmonella Javiana has sickened more than 30 patients at four healthcare facilities in southeast Pennsylvania, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report.

Evidence points to a mix of fruit as the source of the outbreak. This mix — called "Fruit Luau" — has been recalled by its producer, Tailor Cut Produce of New Jersey.

As the FDA notes, the recalled products — which were distributed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware between Nov. 15 and Dec. 1, 2019 — may have been distributed to nursing homes, schools, hospitals and other facilities that cater to vulnerable populations.

Salmonella can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis.

The FDA is still investigating the outbreak in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The FDA has not yet identified the four healthcare facilities confirmed as involved.

Study: Healthcare Workers Contaminated With Respiratory Viruses Following Care

The results of a new study indicate that the skin, clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE) of healthcare workers are frequently contaminated with respiratory viruses following the delivery of care to patients with acute viral infections.

The study, published in the Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), examined the skin, clothing and/or PPE of 59 such workers in an acute-care academic hospital.

Viruses were detected on:

• 31% of glove samples

• 21% of gown samples

• 12% of face mask samples

• 21% of bare hand samples

• 11% of scrub samples

• 7% of face samples

Researchers also found positive correlation between virus concentrations on stethoscopes and gowns with the number of torso contacts and virus concentrations on face masks with the number of face mask and patient contacts.

In their conclusion, researchers call for renewed focus on hand hygiene and use of PPE as well as consideration of modifying self-contact behaviors.