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.
