December 14, 2023
Politico.com
The White House announced Thursday it struck a deal with drug manufacturers to make available 230,000 more doses of the respiratory syncytial virus shot for infants by January, amid a widespread shortage that’s had parents and pediatricians scrambling to find shots. The move comes after weeks of pressure from top Biden administration officials, who were speaking almost daily with the drug companies in an effort to ramp up supply, three people familiar with the matter told POLITICO. Read more
The White House
On Wednesday, senior Biden-Harris Administration officials met again with manufacturers of RSV immunizations including Sanofi and AstraZeneca and their partners. They discussed the need for manufacturers to work quickly to meet demand for dose availability through the commercial market this viral season. At the urging of the Administration, manufacturers confirmed that they will make available 230,000 additional doses of RSV immunizations for infants in January. This announcement comes on top of the 77,000 additional doses of Beyfortus that were released last month following the Administration’s continued efforts’ urging manufacturers to expedite availability. Read more.
Sanofi Beyfortus(TM) Update
… Since early October, we have been working closely with the CDC and Food and Drug Administration to deliver additional doses this season and holding weekly touchpoints since November. We have also welcomed engagement with the CDC, the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response (OPPR) and other Health and Human Services and White House officials through regular meetings. These partnerships and the efforts of both companies have resulted in an additional 77,000 100mg doses being made available, and we plan to provide approximately 230,000 additional doses – made up of 50mg and 100mg doses – for the U.S. in January. This would bring the first season to an immunization rate of nearly 40 percent, which greatly surpasses prior launches of a pediatric immunization and represents a total of 1.4 million babies offered protection against RSV, a 27 percent increase over the initial supply forecast for the season. Read more