Important ACIP Updates From June Meeting

Last month, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met and issued new recommendations, as well as expanded existing ones. Here is a summary of the ACIP’s recommendations that affect our members the most:

Merck’s Enflonsia Recommended:

Merck’s new RSV shot Enflonsia is now recommended by the ACIP. The committee approved one dose to be given for infants younger than 8 months of age who are born during or entering their first RSV season and who are not already protected by a maternal RSV vaccine (Pfizer’s Abrysvo).

What is Enflonsia?

Enflonsia is a monoclonal antibody for RSV, like Sanofi’s Beyfortus, it is a form of passive immunization for RSV, not a vaccine. Unlike Sanofi’s Beyfortus, which can be given to high-risk infants during their second RSV season, Enflonsia is currently only approved to be given to infants during their first RSV season. However, Enflonsia is the first and only RSV preventative option for infants that uses the same dose (0.7mL) regardless of the patient’s weight.

The new ACIP recommendations will be published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) sometime in the next few months. Once the recommendations are published in the MMWR, insurance payers will determine when to add coverage for Enflonsia.

To read more on Enflonsia’s ACIP recommendation, click here to view Merck’s press release.

Pfizer’s Abrysvo Recommendation Update:

The ACIP’s recommendation of Pfizer’s Abrysvo has been expanded to now include adults ages 50 to 59 who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease. The prior recommendation was for high-risk adults ages 60 to 74, as well as all adults 75 years and older.

The CDC is still working on updating its webpage to include this new recommendation and help define the conditions that move patients into the high-risk category. Abrysvo is a Medicare Part D vaccine, so patients with Medicare should be sent to the pharmacy to receive this vaccine. However, the office should stock and offer Abrysvo to patients under age 65 who fall into the high-risk category. Currently, the ACIP recommends a single dose of RSV vaccine.

ACIP Reaffirms Recommendation on Yearly Flu Vaccinations:

The ACIP reaffirmed the recommendation that everyone ages 6 months and older be vaccinated against the flu each year, unless contraindicated for a specific patient.

The ACIP also voted that patients should only receive the seasonal flu vaccine in single-dose formulations that were free of thimerosal. Thimerosal is currently found in small amounts in multi-dose vials of Sanofi’s Fluzone, as well as Seqirus’ Afluria and Flucelvax. It is not found in single-dose vials or pre-filled syringes of these flu vaccines.

For customers who have prebooked multi-dose vials of Fluzone and would like to change their order, please call Sanofi’s customer service line at 1-800-VACCINE (822-2463).

PCA Members who have questions about their Seqirus reservation can contact Amy Bullock at abullock@primarycarealliance.com.

Upcoming: Moderna’s mNexspike Broadcast

Moderna is offering a webinar about mNexspike on Thursday, July 17, 2025. To register for the webinar, please click here. The webinar will be broadcast from 5:30 – 6:30 pm ET. If you are unable to attend the webinar as it is broadcast, you will be able to watch a replay by signing up for the webinar.

Moderna’s mNexspike was approved by the FDA on May 31, 2025 for patients 65 years and older. Additionally, mNexspike is approved to be administered to patients 12 years and older with a high-risk condition. Asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, HIV, mental health conditions, obesity and many other diagnoses fall under the CDC’s list of high-risk conditions. To see the CDC’s complete list of high-risk conditions, please go here.

Tips for Back-to-School Vaccinations

It is back-to-school time already! Many offices have been doing pre-kindergarten and sports physicals for a few months already. It is essential to review the vaccine status of each patient at every visit to ensure that patients are up to date on all immunizations. Here are the vaccines typically administered during these well-child visits.

Kindergarten:

As most children entering kindergarten are between 4 and 6 years old, this age range commonly has children receive their subsequent doses of multiple vaccines. Most often, the children in this age group need their:

Fifth dose of DTaP
Fourth dose of IPV
Second dose of MMR
Second dose of Varivax

Managing multiple dosing schedules and administering more shots can be challenging for both parents and healthcare providers. To ensure each patient is up-to-date and to make this process easier, healthcare providers can administer combination vaccines. The two combination vaccines that can be used at this visit for this age group are Sanofi’s Quadracel (DTaP/IPV) and Merck’s ProQuad (MMRV).

Middle School & Junior High School:

Preadolescents entering middle school and/or junior high school are typically between the ages of 9 and 14. This age group also needs multiple vaccinations at this time.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that children 11 to 12 years old receive Adacel (Tdap), MenQuadfi (Men ACWY) and start the Gardasil (HPV) series if it has not been started.

Gardasil can be given as early as 9 years old, so check to see if the patient has already received one or two doses. Gardasil has a two-dose schedule for patients 9 to 14 years old. The two doses need to be at least six months apart. Patients 15 years and older have a three-dose Gardasil schedule – give the first shot, the second shot is two months later, and the third shot is six months later.

High School:

Adolescents entering high school also have vaccinations that the ACIP recommends they receive. Around the age of 16, patients should receive their second dose of MenQuadfi (Men ACWY). This is also a perfect time to review whether the patient has completed their Gardasil (HPV) series.

Additionally, physicians should discuss with the patient to determine if receiving a meningococcal B vaccine is recommended. Please see the CDC’s handout on Shared Clinical Decision-Making for meningococcal B vaccines here.

The two meningococcal B vaccines that are currently available are Pfizer’s Trumenba and GSK’s Bexsero. Both vaccines are a two-dose series with doses administered six months apart. Meningococcal B vaccines are not interchangeable. Therefore, make sure to document which manufacturer’s meningococcal B vaccine the patient receives.

If the patient is going to receive both the second dose of MenQuadfi and qualify for their first dose of Pfizer’s Trumenba vaccine, providers can offer Pfizer’s Penbraya (pentavalent meningococcal vaccine ABCWY) at this visit instead of giving the two shots separately. A second dose of Trumenba should be given six months after the first dose or when the patient reaches 18 years of age.

Healthcare Providers’ Role as Children and Adolescents go Back-to-School

During back-to-school season, health providers should seize the opportunity at well-child checks to schedule any necessary follow-up visits for additional vaccine doses. You can also schedule or remind patients to come in for influenza and/or COVID-19 vaccines in the fall.

Teach office staff to take advantage of every opportunity to bring patients up to date on vaccines. A patient’s vaccination status should be reviewed at every visit, whether they are sick or well, to ensure they have completed all necessary vaccines. Many vaccines can be given if a patient is only mildly ill.

To view a copy of the CDC’s most current recommended child and adolescent immunization schedule, click here.

What PCA Can Offer Healthcare Providers

PCA members get the best possible prices on these vaccines with our Vaccine Purchasing Programs through Merck, Pfizer and Sanofi. If you would like to find out more or sign up for one of these programs, you can contact Amy Bullock by email at abullock@primarycarealliance.com or call (801) 369-3933.