Big Pharma NewsWatch
Florida Advises Against Use of mRNA COVID Vaccine Heading Into Fall and Winter + More
The Defender’s Big Pharma Watch delivers the latest headlines related to pharmaceutical companies and their products, including vaccines, drugs, and medical devices and treatments. The views expressed in the below excerpts from other news sources do not necessarily reflect the views of The Defender. Our goal is to provide readers with breaking news that affects human health and the environment.
Florida Advises Against Use of mRNA COVID Vaccine Heading Into Fall and Winter
The Florida Department of Health this week advised against using mRNA COVID-19 vaccines heading into the fall and winter, typically a season with an uptick in respiratory illness.
The department said that for those 65 and older with underlying health conditions concerned about COVID-19, providers should “prioritize patient access to non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and treatment.”
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said in the new guidance that Floridians should prioritize being active, minimize processed foods, prioritize vegetables and healthy fats, and to spend time outdoors to improve vitamin D levels.
Despite the approval, the Florida Health Department expressed concern over the “lack” of clinical trial data specific to newly-approved COVID-19 boosters.
About Half of Americans to Skip COVID and Flu Shots. Doctor Explains Why That Is ‘Very Concerning.’
As flu season approaches and COVID-19 cases continue across parts of U.S., health experts are worried that many Americans are hesitant to get vaccinated.
According to a new survey from Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, less than half of Americans are planning to get their COVID or flu shots this season.
Dr. Nora Colburn, an infectious disease doctor with Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told CBS News these findings are “very concerning.”
“We really need a large majority of our population to get vaccinated, to protect our entire community,” she said.
The national poll of more than 1,000 people found more than a third — 37% — have gotten vaccines in the past but do not plan to this year.
WHO Grants First Mpox Vaccine Approval to Ramp Up Response to Disease
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday it has granted its first authorization for use of a vaccine against mpox in adults, calling it an important step toward fighting the disease in Africa.
The approval of the vaccine made by Bavarian Nordic A/S means that donors like vaccines alliance Gavi and UNICEF can buy it.
But supplies are limited because there’s only a single manufacturer.
“This first (authorization) of a vaccine against mpox is an important step in our fight against the disease, both in the context of the current outbreaks in Africa, and in future,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
WHO also said it was creating an “access and allocation mechanism” to try to fairly distribute mpox tests, treatments and vaccines to the countries who need them most.
The Latest on Where Gaza’s Polio Came From — and the Race to Contain It
The first wave of a massive vaccination campaign against polio is wrapping up in Gaza.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that in less than two weeks, they’ve helped administer more than 550,000 polio vaccines to children across the enclave. But the work is only half done.
“We start the race against time for the second stage of the campaign,” says Juliette Touma with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, the group that’s administering the vaccines.
“We have to do all of this all over again to give the children the second doses of vaccines against polio.”
Polio is a highly infectious virus that can lead to paralysis and even death. It often spreads through fecal matter. This is a problem in Gaza, which has suffered destruction of much of its water treatment infrastructure.
“Solid waste everywhere,” says Dr. Majdi Duhair, a retired epidemiologist in Gaza. “No clean drinking water, no hygiene.”
This has all led to plenty of sewage in the streets — the perfect recipe for the spread of polio. So when the virus turned up in wastewater samples in the enclave, alarm bells went off, especially because vaccination programs in Gaza have collapsed since the war began.
Andino explains that the oral vaccine — which is comprised of a weakened form of the polio virus — is “extremely safe” to get and that it protects the recipient from polio. It’s also easy to administer, requiring just two drops in the mouth and no needles.
Rarely, however, when that weakened virus is shed in a person’s stool, it can mutate and regain its ability to cause disease.
This is what happened with the strain now in Gaza. People were vaccinated orally in Egypt and at some point, the virus that they shed in their fecal matter became virulent again.
Morocco Sees First Mpox Case in N.Africa During Emergency: CDC
Morocco has recorded a case of mpox in the tourist city of Marrakesh, the first in north Africa since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international emergency last month, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday.
“Africa CDC confirms the first mpox case in North Africa for 2024, reported by Morocco’s Ministry of Health” on Sept. 12, a statement on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website said.
With Morocco, 15 African Union member states have reported cases — now across every region of the continent, according to Africa CDC.
Cause of Missouri H5 Bird Flu Case Remains a Mystery, CDC Says
Disease investigators have not been able to determine how a person in Missouri with no known exposures to animals or poultry became infected with an H5 bird flu virus, the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
But Nirav Shah said the ongoing investigation has turned up no evidence of onward spread of the virus, suggesting this case may turn out to be a one-off infection that defies explanation.
“Here’s the bottom line: Our influenza surveillance system is designed to find needles in haystacks,” Shah said at a news briefing. “Here in this case, we found such a needle, but we don’t know how it got there. Our investigation continues, and we will keep everyone updated as we learn more.”
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