Stopping statins in older adults meets noninferiority but raises events; Medicare finalizes 2027 pay cut; New York reports measles death

• Research Nov 7, 2026
  Stopping statins at 70 and older meets noninferiority but events rise to 12.7% from 9.2% in STREAM trial of 1,880
  The open-label STREAM trial randomized 1,880 adults 70 or older with at least two chronic conditions and no known cardiovascular disease, at 24 sites in Switzerland, the Netherlands and France, to stop or continue statins. Two-year restricted mean event-free survival was 96.5 weeks with stopping versus 98.5 weeks with continuing, within the prespecified 5.2-week margin. Over a median 103 weeks, the primary outcome of nonfatal heart attack, nonfatal ischemic stroke or death occurred in 12.7% versus 9.2% (hazard ratio 1.38, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.81). The New England Journal of Medicine published the trial Nov. 7.
  Sources: NEJM, Crossref, HCPLive
• Payment Nov 4, 2026
  Medicare sets 2027 conversion factor at $32.63, a 2.31% cut, and expands the primary care exception for residents
  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) set the 2027 conversion factor at $32.63 for most clinicians and $32.95 for qualifying advanced payment model participants, decreases of 2.31% and 1.83%. The final rule pays 20% less for the lower-paid service when an office visit and a 0-day global procedure fall on the same day; the proposal would have paid that service at 50%, according to Medical Economics. The rule expands the primary care exception for residents and adds payment for shared medical appointments. The American Academy of Family Physicians said it strongly opposes the same-day cut.
  Sources: CMS, AAFP, Medical Economics
• Public health Nov 2, 2026
  Unvaccinated infant's measles death is New York's first in 30 years as U.S. 2026 cases reach 5,182, CDC says
  New York health officials said an infant from Lewis County died after contracting measles, the state's first measles death in 30 years. State Health Commissioner Dr. James V. McDonald said the child was unvaccinated and that the state had 48 cases in all of 2025 and is "well beyond 200 cases" this year. As of Nov. 5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) counted 5,182 confirmed U.S. cases in 2026, 96% of them outbreak-associated, and four deaths.
  Sources: WAMC, ABC7 New York, CDC
• Research Nov 5, 2026
  Skipping newborn vitamin K tied to 47% higher infant bleeding risk in JAMA cohort of 5,240,780 infants
  A retrospective cohort study published Nov. 5 in JAMA analyzed Epic Cosmos electronic health record data for 5,240,780 infants born at 35 to 43 weeks' gestation. Vitamin K nonreceipt more than doubled, from 3.1% in 2017 to 6.8% in 2025, and infants who did not receive it had a 47% higher risk of bleeding in their first 6 months (adjusted risk ratio 1.47, 95% CI 1.43 to 1.51). Bleeding events occurred in 288.0 versus 185.9 per 10,000 nonrecipients and recipients, with an adjusted number needed to harm of 114.
  Sources: JAMA, Contemporary Pediatrics
• Research Nov 7, 2026
  Systolic target under 120 mm Hg after stroke cuts cardiovascular events versus under 140 in 4,368-patient OPTIMAL-STROKE trial
  In the open-label OPTIMAL-STROKE trial at 30 sites in Brazil, 4,368 patients with high blood pressure and a prior ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack were randomized to a systolic target under 120 or under 140 mm Hg. Over a median 3.9 years, the primary composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke or hospitalization for unstable angina or heart failure occurred in 10.9% versus 13.5% (hazard ratio 0.79; 95% CI 0.67 to 0.94; P = .007). Renal outcomes were more common with intensive treatment (3.9% versus 2.2%). The trial was presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.
  Sources: New England Journal of Medicine, Healio
• Research Nov 4, 2026
  Shoulder injury after vaccination more common with COVID-19 than influenza shots, 1.84 versus 1.15 per 10,000 doses
  In a population-based cohort of 1,366,362 adults at Kaiser Permanente Southern California published in JAMA Internal Medicine on Nov. 4, shoulder injury related to vaccine administration occurred at 1.84 per 10,000 COVID-19 vaccinations versus 1.15 per 10,000 influenza vaccinations (adjusted relative risk 1.63, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.28). The authors said COVID-19 vaccination was associated with about seven additional cases per 100,000 vaccinations.
  Sources: JAMA Internal Medicine, PubMed
• Research Nov 2, 2026
  COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in pregnancy shows equivalent child development scores at 18 to 30 months in 217 pairs
  A cohort study at 14 centers of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network matched 217 pairs of children whose mothers did or did not receive a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine in pregnancy. Ages and Stages Questionnaire scores, the primary outcome, were equivalent (255 versus 260; adjusted median difference -3.4, 90% CI -9.8 to 3.0), according to the study published Nov. 2 in JAMA Pediatrics. The authors said the findings support continued recommendations for vaccination during pregnancy.
  Sources: JAMA Pediatrics, PubMed

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