Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Good News For Kids And Needle-Phobes: FluMist OK'd For Use Two Years After Panel Pulled Recommendation
The Associated Press: It's OK To Use Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine Again, US Panel Says
It's OK for doctors to start using a kid-friendly nasal spray flu vaccine again, a federal panel said Wednesday. Two years ago, the advisory group pulled its recommendation for FluMist vaccine after research found it wasn't working against swine flu, the kind of flu that was making most people sick then. But the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices voted 12-2 Wednesday to recommend the nasal spray as an option for next winter's flu season. (Stobbe, 2/21)
Reuters: U.S. Health Officials Reverse Stance On AstraZeneca's Flu Vaccine
The latest recommendation follows results from a U.S. study in young children that showed vaccines containing a 2017-2018 strain of H1N1 flu virus performed better than the 2015-2016 strain that had shown decreased effectiveness, AstraZeneca said. (Mathias, 2/21)
Stat: FluMist Is Back: Vote Reopens The Way To Wider Use Of Popular Vaccine
MedImmune believes it traced the problem to the virus used in the H1N1 component. It has replaced it, and testing in ferrets and in cells from human nasal passages suggests the new virus is more effective. The motion to recommend FluMist passed by a surprising 12-to-2 vote, the outcome of which belies the unease that a number of members of the committee clearly felt about the decision they were making. They faced, in essence, a Catch-22: It has been impossible to generate the type of data that would normally be used to make a decision like this. That’s because since the H1N1 component problem first came to light, there has been too little H1N1 flu activity in places where the vaccine is used to prove that the changes the company made to FluMist have fixed the problem. (Branswell, 2/21)
The panel also voted on a vaccine for hepatitis B —
The Associated Press: US Panel Recommends New Adult Vaccine Against Hepatitis B
A federal advisory panel on Wednesday recommended a new vaccine against hepatitis B. The vaccine, called Heplisav-B, was licensed for use in the U.S. in November and is the first new hepatitis B vaccine in 25 years. Hepatitis B vaccines have been in childhood shots for decades. But vaccination also is recommended for adults at high risk of infection, including people who inject drugs, health care workers and jail inmates. (Stobbe, 2/21)
