Vaccines

To date, two shingles vaccines have been marketed in the United States: Zostavax, approved in 2006, and Shingrix, approved in 2017. However, Zostavax is no longer available for treatment.

COVID-19 vaccines are currently administered intramuscularly. Studies indicate that intramuscular vaccine administration may not effectively generate antibodies and T cells against SARS-CoV-2 in the respiratory tract mucosa.

This study examined data from 589,722 individuals and found that those who were vaccinated had a lower incidence of long COVID compared to those who were unvaccinated.

Angela Branche, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, says the gaps are in a precise understanding of who is at risk for serious illness from respiratory syncytial virus and therefore who should get vaccinated.

Pfizer and BioNTech released positive top-line data for their mRNA-based combination vaccine that targets influenza and COVID-19.

Results of this prospective cohort study fits with other evidence showing no association between COVID-19 vaccination and miscarriage.

The self-administered nasal spray may increase vaccination rates.

Coadministration of flu and COVID-19 vaccines is safe and effective, according to findings published recently in JAMA Network Open, and Moderna report a strong immune response to its experimental vaccine that would combine flu and COVID-19 vaccination into a single shot.

Patterns in COVID-19 vaccinations remain largely divided along political party lines, according to one report.

It differs from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. Instead of using mRNA, the Novavax vaccines consists of proteins found in the spikes of the COVID-19 vaccine combined with an adjuvant made from the bark of a tree that grows in Chile.

In a 10-year study in patients vaccinated with Gardasil 9, no cases of HPV-related cancers or genital warts were seen.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can be deadly for the very young and the old and frail. GSK's vaccine will be marketed under the brand name Arexvy and Pfizer's under the name Abrysvo.

The purpose of the federal vaccine safety reporting system often is misunderstood, and its data can be easily used to spread false information about vaccination. A new report from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania looks at how it was manipulated to raise doubts about COVID-19 vaccines and suggests remedies.

Seasonal influenza kills hundreds of thousands of people every year due to a constantly changing virus and highly inefficient vaccine production. A universal flu vaccine could deal with the first problem, and mRNA technology with the second.

In his closing thoughts, Dr Lewis offers considerations for key decision-makers regarding new vaccines entering the marketplace.

Dr Lewis provides insight into general unmet needs surrounding vaccines.

Vaccine accessibility has been limited for patients impacted by health disparities and social determinants of health (SDoH).

Researchers have spent a century trying to develop a vaccine against malaria, one of the world’s biggest killers. The first shot to be approved, two years ago, is 30% effective. A new one, in the works for three decades, has a reported 77% efficacy and a licensee with the capacity to produce 200 million doses a year.

Dr Lewis discusses his organization’s leveraging of EMR to track immunization status of patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced patient perception regarding many aspects of vaccination safety and efficacy.

The federal government is hoping that newly simplified vaccination guidelines will lead more Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In other pandemic news, HHS announced plans to keep vaccines and treatments free for the uninsured, and an appellate court sided with the Biden administration's disputed vaccination requirement for federal contractors.

James Lewis, PharmD, FIDSA, opens a discussion regarding the current and anticipated landscape surrounding vaccination.