Respiratory Infections

The FDA VRBPAC votes to recommend mRNA vaccines in youngest children; WHO moves to rename monkeypox; Anthony Fauci is diagnosed with COVID-19; and Pfizer stops recruiting for a Paxlovid trial.

Today, the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) unanimously voted to recommend both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old.

Sanofi and GSK’s booster vaccine candidate is modeled on the Beta COVID-19 variant, and increases Omicron-neutralizing antibody titers 40-fold.

Data results from its phase 3 trial showed it was statistically significant and the company plans to follow-up with regulatory bodies later this year.

AstraZeneca’s Evusheld, dual injections of tixagevimab and cilgavimab, reduced the risk of severe or fatal COVID-19 disease by 50%. When administered within 3 days of symptom onset, Evusheld had an 88% risk reduction.

Moderna’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster, mRNA-1273.214, generated nearly twice the protective antibodies against Omicron.

Impairment of cognitive function is a growing, concerning effect of "long COVID."

In 2020, COVID-19 mortality rates were 5 times higher among adults in low socioeconomic positions.

Community transmission of monkeypox outside traditional endemic regions of the virus prompts calls for increased vigilance.

Synairgen's inhalable Interferon-beta treatment, SNG001, may be a treatment option for hospitalized and immunocompromised COVID-19 patients.

The organization is behind community-based funding and educational programs to propel a healthier society at a grassroots level.

Companies say the 3 doses of their vaccine meet all immunobridging criteria required for the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

In hospitalized COVID-19 patients, remdesivir stewardship reduced hospital length of stay and therapy duration.

Among community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) outpatients, 49% were prescribed unnecessary antibiotics.

Leveraging antimicrobial stewardship programs was crucial to ensure COVID-19 hospital inpatients received monoclonal antibody therapy quickly and safely.

Data on hospitalizations of children during the pandemic highlighted the seriousness of MIS-C, particularly in children of color.

A third, “booster,” dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is now FDA-approved for children 5-11 years old.

Though it failed to meet its primary study endpoints, post hoc analysis of SNG001 showed the inhalable reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death in high-risk patients.

The company is utilizing this platform to address new COVID-19 variants, combination vaccines, and potentially prevent HIV.

COVID-19 patients who do not speak English faced worse hospital outcomes during the first wave of the pandemic.

A study of pregnant women positive for COVID-19 at delivery found no evidence of vertical transmission, but increased gastrointestinal problems in their newborn infants.

A comparison of COVID-19 PCR tests and rapid self-tests found self-tests to be highly accurate and user-friendly for children.

The federal agency authorized the therapy as a standalone treatment via a revised EUA in July of last year.

Active immunization of pregnant women with investigational vaccine protected infants from RSV from birth through at least 6 months.

Investigators examined whether rapid antigen tests were less sensitive to variants of concern. Though the tests detected Omicron, all but 1 were less effective in detecting the Delta variant.