RSV news – plus, BIO 2024 talks PDABs

GSK’s RSV vaccine was approved for an expanded population, and a new study confirms an option for infants is effective. Plus, our BIO 2024 coverage is not over yet—and today, we get the patient perspective on PDABs and the IRA. (558 words, 2 minutes, 47 seconds)

Good RSV news for adults 50+ and infants

A respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for older adults was approved for people as young as 50, while immunization for infants was confirmed effective.

Good news for adults: On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of GSK’s Arexvy RSV vaccine for adults aged 50-59 with increased risk due to underlying conditions, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, heart failure, and diabetes. Arexvy was approved for adults over 60 a year ago.

Good news for infants: The monoclonal antibody Beyfortus (nirsevimab) developed by AstraZeneca and Sanofi was 75.9-80.6% effective in preventing severe RSV bronchiolitis in infants admitted to the ICU in France, the first country to use the protection widely, a study released Wednesday showed.

Why it matters: RSV is most dangerous for infants—for whom it is the leading cause of hospitalization—and older adults. Immunization is the best protection.

But there’s bad vaccine news, too: Lower immunization rates against pertussis (whooping cough) since the pandemic are blamed for 5,000 reported cases in the first five months of 2024—double the rate of the previous year, The Washington Post reported. Before wide-scale vaccination in the 1940s, pertussis killed about 9,000 annually in the U.S.

The bottom line: Immunization works. Make sure you and your loved ones get protected against respiratory illnesses.

More Agriculture & Environment News: 

Reuters: Exclusive: Cows infected with bird flu have died in five U.S. states
“Dairy cows infected with avian flu in five U.S. states have died or been slaughtered by farmers because they did not recover, state officials and academics told Reuters. Reports of the deaths suggest the bird flu outbreak in cows could take a greater economic toll in the farm belt than initially thought. Farmers have long culled poultry infected by the virus, but cows cost much more to raise than chickens or turkeys.”

BIO 2024: PDABs and IRA pose threat to patient access

ICYMI: As the U.S. government moves ahead with the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), state legislatures are increasingly considering Prescription Drug Affordability Boards (PDABs)—but are they listening to patients’ experiences?

PDABs are state boards that aim to cap, control, and dictate the price of drugs that manufacturers can charge. This year, the Colorado PDAB began implementing its review of certain drugs to determine whether the state will impose an upper payment limit (UPL), or reimbursement limit, for drugs provided in markets regulated by the state.

“I think it’s important to note, from a patient perspective, that the advertisements and promotions for PDABs very largely promote that they will save out-of-pocket costs for all patients in the state, and neither one is true,” said Tiffany Westrich-Robertson, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of AiArthritis. “We are here to help those boards, as their allies, with patient input, so that we can help them fill in the blanks where patients need to have a say.”

Read a recap of the session at Bio.News.

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• Keep an eye on Bio.News for panel recaps, exclusive Q&As, and much more.
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President Biden’s Monday: Hosting a Juneteenth concert at the White House with Patti LaBelle, Roy Wood Jr., and Gladys Knight, per The Hill.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Recess today. Tomorrow, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies will mark up an FY25 spending bill. On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing, “The U.S. Intellectual Property System and the Impact of Litigation Financed by Third-Party Investors and Foreign Entities.”