News

In an early release of his letter for the Summer issue, Editor-in-Chief Jason Gallagher, PharmD, FCCP, FIDP, FIDSA, BCPS, discusses the recent changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and where professional societies must step in and lead with research data and clinical guidance in the absence of experienced committee members.

Successful HCV treatment with DAAs was associated with reduced risks of CKD, stroke, major adverse cardiac events, and neurocognitive disorders.

Jatin Vyas, PhD, MD, offers some insights into the economics of development, the biology of fungal species, and the difficulties behind creating new antifungal molecules.

This week, the FDA expanded Moderna’s RSV vaccine to younger at-risk adults, Merck’s Enflonsia received approval to protect infants from RSV, HHS Secretary RFK Jr replaced the CDC’s ACIP, and more.

The antiviral, glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (Mavyet), is the first and only oral 8-week pangenotypic treatment approved for people with acute or chronic hepatitis C. The approval supports global clinical guidelines to advance testing and treatment of HCV regardless of chronicity and supports public health goals for disease elimination.

Innoviva and GARDP's breakthrough treatment could become the first new gonorrhea antibiotic in decades amid rising antimicrobial resistance.

The federal agency approved the company’s mRNA-1345 (mRESVIA) vaccine for people who are between the ages of 18 to 59 years.

Although COVID-19 has receded quite a bit from the minds of many, it still remains a virus that can present serious morbidity and mortality. Here is a review of clinical treatment strategies by an intensivist when seeing patients with severe COVID-19.

Phase 3 results show immune response and tolerability in adults 65 and older, following phase 2 findings.

New modeling estimates up to 360,000 symptomatic cases annually, 10 to 18 times higher than reported, with CDC experts calling for expanded testing, reporting, and clinical awareness.

Enflonsia, a single-dose, long-acting antibody, has been FDA approved to significantly reduce RSV infections and hospitalizations in infants, providing new hope for protecting vulnerable babies during RSV season.

The ongoing H5N1 avian flu outbreak has severely impacted U.S. poultry and dairy industries, prompting a $1 billion USDA response strategy that includes biosecurity, vaccination research, and innovation funding. With growing concern over viral mutations affecting humans and livestock, rapid, field-based diagnostic tools offer critical support in accelerating detection and containment efforts.

Full committee removal raises concerns over vaccine policy stability and scientific independence.

Multiple studies highlight fidaxomicin’s effectiveness across high-risk populations despite cost and access challenges, underscoring the need for education and stewardship to improve guideline adherence.

Q&A with Amy Cain discusses cannabidiol and cannabidivarin’s effects on fungal biofilms and drug-resistant strains.

Presented at MAD-ID 2025, Natt Patimavirujh, PharmD, supports fidaxomicin over vancomycin for high-risk groups, including transplant and chemotherapy patients.

The most common reasons include finances, logistics, availability of information, and hesitancy or refusal.

This week, FDA approved Moderna’s improved COVID-19 vaccine mRNA, MAD-ID findings showed omadacycline’s 86% success rate in treating infections in immunocompromised patients, consistent safety in preventing recurrent CDI in patients with comorbidities, and more.

Andrew Handel, MD, discusses prevention, how to remove ticks, and the burden of Lyme disease in certain populations.

Presented at MAD-ID by Mohammed Al Musawa, PharmD, BCIDP, the study found lower clinical success with imipenem-cilastatin-relebactam in obese patients, raising questions about dosing strategies.

At MAD-ID, Alyssa Cox, PharmD, showed fidaxomicin reduces 90-day recurrence by 68.3% versus vancomycin, with rates of 7.9% vs. 19% in 176 hospitalized patients.

Valneva’s immunization, Ixchiq, was well tolerated in children ages 1 to 11 years regardless of the dose or previous chikungunya infection.

Mycovia Pharmaceuticals is evaluating oteseconazole against the standard of care for treating cryptococcal meningitis.

At MAD-ID, Jose Alexander, MD, reports 98% susceptibility in ESBL E coli and 76% in K pneumoniae, underscoring the need for species-specific testing.

At MAD-ID 2025, Tiffany Lee, PharmD, presents multi-center findings showing no increase in AKI with higher initial dosing.

At MAD-ID 2025, William R Mikesell, PharmD, presented data showing 20% vs 16% treatment failure rates in doxycycline and minocycline groups.

Christina Lee, PharmD, and Julia Donahue, PharmD, analyzed 533 encounters revealing a 27.1% readmission rate in immunocompromised patients versus 14.1% in non-immunocompromised patients.

Hydronidone demonstrated significant efficacy in liver fibrosis regression in CHB patients, meeting the primary endpoint in a phase 3 trial. The company plans to file regulatory applications in China and the US, aiming to expand the therapy's indications.