2023-11-28 22:31:00
(Adds comments from Sanofi and clarifies that vaccinations are intended for children) by Susan Heavey and Ahmed Aboulenein
Senior Biden administration officials met with makers of children’s RSV vaccines this week to emphasize the need for manufacturers such as Sanofi
SASY.PA and AstraZeneca AZN.L to urgently meet demand as winter approaches, the White House said Tuesday.
At a White House meeting Monday, officials and manufacturers also agreed to plan now to meet demand for vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus, which typically causes mild symptoms similar to those cold, but can develop into serious illness in infants and older adults.
“Monday’s meeting follows numerous in-person and virtual meetings aimed at finding ways for manufacturers to make more RSV vaccines available to infants,” the White House said in a statement.
“We, along with our manufacturing partner AstraZeneca, remain in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as the White House, to explore solutions to respond to this exceptional demand and to actively plan for the 2024-2025 season,” a Sanofi spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Separately, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has accelerated the availability of more than 77,000 additional doses of Beyfortus, Sanofi and AstraZeneca’s RSV drug, which was approved early in the year. year to prevent illness in infants and young children.
RSV cases in the United States began a sharp upward trend in mid-October and reached their highest level since January of last winter, with 4,952 cases detected by testing during the week. which ended on November 4, according to the CDC website.
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