Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Facing Limited Supplies, CDC Changes RSV Shot Guidance For Infants
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert Monday in response to limited supplies of an antibody drug designed to protect infants from the respiratory disease RSV. The update comes as RSV cases have started to rise in parts of the United States with the onset of cold and flu season, creating a conundrum for many pediatricians. The CDC is now advising pediatricians and other health-care providers to prioritize administering certain doses of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody sold under the brand name Beyfortus, to infants with the highest risk of developing severe respiratory syncytial virus. (Malhi, 10/24)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling on doctors to prioritize doses of a new RSV drug to the most vulnerable infants amid limited supply. Experts say demand for the drug, Beyfortus, has far outpaced supply in the first respiratory virus season since the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug in July. (Reed, 10/24)
In updates on the confirmation of NIH nominee Monica Bertagnolli 鈥
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), stated Tuesday that he plans to vote 鈥渘o鈥 on the confirmation of Monica Bertagnolli, President Biden鈥檚 nominee for director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).Sander鈥檚 decision comes just one day before the HELP committee is to consider the nominations of Bertagnolli and other nominees at agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Choi, 10/24)
But two Republican senators, Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine, told POLITICO they would vote to approve her. Seven of the panel鈥檚 10 Democrats, Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), have stated their support publicly. If at least two of the other three Democrats join them 鈥 fewer if more Republicans vote aye 鈥 Bertagnolli will advance, allowing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to schedule a floor vote. (Schumaker, Lim and Leonard, 10/24)
