logo
Vaccines and antibodies up for debate at CDC advisory panel meeting

Vaccines and antibodies up for debate at CDC advisory panel meeting

Reuters7 days ago
June 25 (Reuters) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory committee is set to meet for the first time since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the entire panel and named eight new members, half of whom have advocated against vaccines.
The meeting, scheduled for June 25-26, will review existing data and vote on RSV and influenza vaccines, along with thimerosal, a preservative used in vials of medicines and vaccines.
Below are some of the companies that make the vaccines that will be discussed at the meeting, according to the final agenda published on the CDC's website.
Sanofi (SASY.PA), opens new tab
Fluzone - The quadrivalent influenza vaccine was approved in 2013 for patients aged six months and older.
Flublok - Approved in 2016 for adults aged 18 and older, replacing the trivalent version licensed in 2013 by offering protection against four influenza strains.
Sanofi reported U.S. sales of $1.66 billion for influenza vaccines in 2024.
AstraZeneca/MedImmune [RIC:RIC:MEDIMV.UL]
FluMist - FDA approved AstraZeneca and partner MedImmune's nasal spray influenza vaccine in September 2024 for self-administration by adults up to 49 years of age, or by a parent/caregiver to individuals aged 2-17 years. The vaccine generated sales of about $258 million in 2024.
CSL Seqirus, part of Australia-based biotech firm CSL Ltd (CSL.AX), opens new tab
FlucelVax - The FDA approved the cell-based influenza vaccine in October 2021 for people aged six months and older.
Afluria - The egg-based influenza vaccine was approved in October 2018 for people aged six months and older.
Fluad - The adjuvanted influenza vaccine was approved by the FDA in February 2020 for people aged six months and older.
The three vaccines combined brought in sales of $1.72 billion in 2024
RSV VACCINES
Sanofi/AstraZeneca (AZN.L), opens new tab
Nirsevimab (Beyfortus) - The FDA approved the antibody, branded as Beyfortus, in 2023 to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in infants.
Sanofi reported U.S. sales of $1.24 billion for the vaccine in 2024.
Merck ((MRK.N), opens new tab)
Clesrovimab (Enflonsia) - The company gained approval for its RSV-preventing antibody, branded as Enflonsia, in June 2025. The antibody is designed for infants up to one-year olds during their first RSV season, with shipments planned for the 2025-2026 season.
GSK (GSK.L), opens new tab
Priorix - Approved by the FDA for the prevention of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) in individuals aged one year and older. It can be administered in two doses or as a second shot following a prior MMR vaccination. GSK reported global sales of $439.96 million for the vaccine in 2024.
MODERNA (MRNA.O), opens new tab
mNEXSPIKE - The next-generation COVID-19 vaccine was approved for aged 65 and above in May 2025.
Spikevax, Moderna's first COVID-19 vaccine, received its initial FDA approval in January 2022. Spikevax brought in total sales of $1.8 billion in 2024.
Pfizer (PFE.N), opens new tab/BioNTech (22UAy.DE), opens new tab
Comirnaty - The COVID-19 vaccine was approved by the FDA in August 2021 for people aged 16 years and older. It generated sales of $5.35 billion in 2024.
Novavax (NVAX.O), opens new tab
Nuvaxovid - The protein-based COVID-19 vaccine was approved by FDA in May 2025 for people aged 65 and older, following nearly five years of regulatory delays and financial uncertainty. The vaccine, Novavax's sole commercial product, generated $682 million in total revenue for 2024, which includes licensing and royalties.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Digital ‘one stop shop' for NHS will speed up care for patients, Government says
Digital ‘one stop shop' for NHS will speed up care for patients, Government says

The Independent

time38 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Digital ‘one stop shop' for NHS will speed up care for patients, Government says

A new 'one stop shop' will showcase cutting-edge technologies to NHS hospitals while also slashing red tape, the Government has announced. The digital platform – MedTech Compass – aims to bring together technologies that are good for patients with an 'innovator passport' to cut the time firms spend on making repetitive data submissions to NHS trusts. The aim, set out in this week's 10-year plan for the NHS, is to get technology into the hands of NHS staff and patients quicker than before. Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'For too long, Britain's leading scientific minds have been held back by needless admin that means suppliers are repeatedly asked for the same data in different formats by different trusts – this is bad for the NHS, patients and bad for business. 'These innovator passports will save time and reduce duplication, meaning our life sciences sector – a central part of our 10-Year Health Plan – can work hand-in-hand with the health service and make Britain a powerhouse for medical technology. 'Frustrated patients will no longer have to face a postcode lottery for life-saving products to be introduced in their area and companies will be able to get their technology used across the NHS more easily, creating a health service fit for the future under the Plan for Change.' Writing in The Independent, Mr Streeting said the plan would put nursing at the heart of transforming the NHS, including training them on the latest technology and help 'shift our NHS from analogue to digital'. He said plans would cut red tape to enable nurses to start working on wards quickly after finishing training, faster payment of expenses and training in communities. The passport will be introduced over the next two years and will mean technology that has been robustly assessed by one NHS organisation can easily be rolled out to others. The Department of Health said this would remove 'needless bureaucracy' and create a 'dynamic best buyer's guide', while also helping boost economic growth. In on example, special wound dressings which are already cutting infections after surgery by 38% at Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals could be adopted across the country, the Department said. Meanwhile, at Barts Health Trust in London, the use of antimicrobial protective coverings for cardiac devices have cut infections and saved more than £103,000 per year. The Department of Health also said rapid flu testing at University Hospitals Dorset has cut the time patients spend in hospital alongside antibiotic use – something that could benefit other hospitals. MedTech Compass aims to make these innovations, and the evidence underpinning them, clearer to buyers within the NHS. Dr Vin Diwakar, clinical transformation director at NHS England, said: 'We're seeing the impact improvements to technology are having on our everyday lives on everything from smartwatches to fitness trackers – and we want to make sure NHS patients can benefit from the latest medical technology and innovations as well. 'The new innovator passports will speed up the rollout of new health technology in the NHS which has been proven to be effective, so that patients can benefit from new treatments much sooner.' Chief executive of NHS Providers, Daniel Elkeles, said: 'We welcome any measures which cut red tape and help trusts get proven and effective technology onto the frontline faster to boost patient care and free staff from time-consuming admin.' Professor Peter Bannister, medtech expert and fellow at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), said: 'This centralisation and simplification of adoption across the NHS will be welcomed by industry – including both large corporates and innovative UK small businesses – as well as by patients and clinicians. 'However, there must be clear evidence standards for manufacturers that recognise the diversity and health inequalities of the UK population, while the variation in digital readiness and workforce skills between different healthcare providers must also be factored in.'

UK's obesity and overweight epidemic costs £126bn a year, study suggests
UK's obesity and overweight epidemic costs £126bn a year, study suggests

The Guardian

time42 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

UK's obesity and overweight epidemic costs £126bn a year, study suggests

The cost of the UK's epidemic of overweight and obesity has soared to £126bn a year, far higher than previous estimates, according to a study. The bill includes the costs of NHS care (£12.6bn), the years people spend in poor health because of their weight (£71.4bn) and the damage to the economy (£31bn). The calculations, by Frontier Economics for the Nesta thinktank, have prompted calls from food campaigners for ministers to take more robust action to tackle obesity, for example by extending the sugar tax from fizzy drinks to a wider range of sweet foods and beverages. Henry Dimbleby, the co-founder of the Leon restaurant chain who was commissioned by the previous Conservative government to write a report on the state of the country's food system, said: 'We've created a food system that's poisoning our population and bankrupting the state. 'This report shows that poor diet now costs the UK a shocking £126bn a year. That's not a crisis. That's a collapse.' The fact that 64% of people in Britain are overweight or obese costs the economy £31bn, Frontier found. That is enough for the government to cut income tax by 3p and is more than what is spent annually on policing in the four home nations, it added. Tim Leunig, Nesta's chief economist, said: 'Obesity has doubled since the 90s and causes a host of terrible health problems, like type 2 diabetes and cancer. 'This means obesity makes people less effective at work, forces them to take time off to manage illness or causes them to leave the workforce entirely owing to ill health.' Ministers are grappling with how to address the fact that 2.8 million people across the UK – 700,000 more than when Covid hit – are economically inactive due to illness, according to Office for National Statistics figures. In 2022, Frontier calculated the cost of obesity to be £58bn a year. It revised its estimate in 2023 to £98bn in analysis for the Tony Blair Institute. Its £126bn figure for Nesta is higher because it includes for the first time analysis of the costs of overweight as well as obesity. Kawther Hashem, the head of research at Action on Sugar, said the £126bn annual cost of obesity was staggering and should be a wake-up call. Voluntary action by the food industry to fight obesity has failed, so ministers need to impose compulsory targets on food firms, backed by financial penalties, to greatly reduce the amount of salt and sugar in their products, Hashem added. Nesta estimated the annual economic costs of being overweight and obesity to be: £71.4bn – cost of reduced quality of life and mortality. £12.6bn – financial cost of treatment for NHS. £12.1bn – from unemployment due to overweight and obesity. £10.5bn – cost of informal care. £9.7bn – lower productivity among those still working. £8.3bn – sick days due to weight-related illness. £1.2bn – cost of formal care. £700m – lost output due to weight-related early death. Katharine Jenner, the director of the Obesity Health Alliance, urged ministers to extend the sugar tax on fizzy drinks and limit the amount of sugar in baby and toddler food. Leunig said the advertising of unhealthy food should be restricted, front of pack labelling introduced and more money put into weight-loss drugs. Nesta's report said that the costs of excess weight will keep growing and could hit £150bn by 2035 without firm action to fight obesity. It states: 'Obesity-related costs are projected to keep rising over the next decade. By 2035, this report estimates the annual cost of excess weight will reach £150bn (in 2025 prices), with productivity losses alone accounting for £36.3bn a year. 'Without a meaningful policy shift to slow – let alone reverse – the growth in obesity, its impact on productivity is set to rise by 18% over the next 10 years in real terms.' Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that more obese people in England would be able to access NHS weight management services – and weight-loss drugs – as a result of the government's 10-year plan for the NHS, which is coming out on Thursday.

Urgent warning for residents in the Northern Territory as cases of sexually transmitted infection explode
Urgent warning for residents in the Northern Territory as cases of sexually transmitted infection explode

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Urgent warning for residents in the Northern Territory as cases of sexually transmitted infection explode

Medical experts are warning residents in the Northern Territory to get tested for syphilis following an explosion in cases of the potentially deadly infection. The NT has recorded more than 183 cases of syphilis so far this year, following back-to-back near-record months since an outbreak began in 2013. Consistently high case numbers prompted the territory's top medical officer to establish a dedicated response team, the syphilis Incident Management Team (IMT) in February. Syphilis can be particularly devastating for pregnant women, leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, low birth weight and congenital syphilis. Australian Medical Association NT president Dr John Zorbas acknowledged the numbers were high, but suggested better testing could be contributing to the spike. 'Sometimes a large increase in case numbers is a good thing,' he told NT News. 'That means we're doing more testing, we're finding these cases and we're actually getting those cases treated.' Of the 183 cases identified in the NT from January 1 to June 22, 93 per cent of cases were successfully treated, a government spokesperson told the publication. Syphilis is a sexually-transmissible infection (STI) usually caused by having vaginal, oral or anal sex with an infected person, through pregnancy and, in rare cases, through skin-to-skin contact. While it is easy to cure if found early, it can cause serious illness, disability and even death if left untreated. The IMT advised pregnant women to test five times across the course of a pregnancy - at the outset, at 28 weeks, at 36 weeks, at birth and six weeks after birth. It also recommended testing for all people aged 15 years and older presenting to any health service including primary health care and emergency departments. Common symptoms include sores or ulcers in the genital areas, anus, cervix or mouth, rash, skin lesions, swollen lymph glands, fever, patchy hair loss, muscle and joint aches, headaches, tiredness and warty lumps. Not all patients will present with symptoms, however, meaning regular testing is crucial to ensure the disease does not cause long-term damage. Syphilis can spread to the nervous system, known as neurosyphilis, which can lead to headaches, altered behaviour, difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, numbness and even dementia. It can also spread to the eye, known as ocular syphilis, which can cause vision loss, blurred vision, eye pain, eye redness and even permanent blindness. Syphilis was almost entirely eradicated in Australia by the early 2000s but cases have exploded following an outbreak in north-west Queensland in 2011. Since then, the disease has spread nationwide with outbreaks currently active in Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. Case numbers across the country increased 400 per cent between 2011 and 2023, with a disproportionate impact on Indigenous Australian communities. The NT has been hit hardest by the outbreak, with its per capita rate more than five times higher than any other jurisdiction at its peak in 2018. To avoid contracting syphilis, the Department of Health recommends people should get tested regularly and avoid sexual activity while unwell. It also recommends using condoms with condom-safe lubricants during vaginal and anal sex and dental dams during oral sex. You should see your doctor or visit a family planning clinic or sexual health clinic if you are concerned you or anyone you have had sexual contact with has syphilis.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store