CDC Pushes Pfizer’s Pentavalent Meningococcal Vaccine
On Oct. 20, 2023, Pfizer, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its new pentavalent meningococcal vaccine, Penbraya, which targets five meningococcal serogroups (A, B, C, W and Y) that most commonly cause meningococcal disease in adolescents and young adults 10-25 years old. Penbraya, is recommended to be given in two […]
Oral Polio Vaccine Causes Nearly All Cases of Paralytic Polio
Despite the introduction in March 2021 of a reportedly more stable and safer oral polio vaccine (OPV) called the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), cases of circulating vaccine-derived polio (cVDPV) paralysis continue to be reported around the world, Ironically, continuing OPV vaccine campaigns in underdeveloped countries appears to be the main reason the […]
Red Cross Does Not Sort Blood Donors by COVID Vaccination Status
Contrary to some claims, the American Red Cross reportedly does not sort blood donations according to whether an individual has been vaccinated for COVID-19. A representative of the organization explained, “blood is tested to ensure its safety based on FDA requirements and then provided to medical facilities for their use. Every unit of blood is […]
Influenza Vaccines Only 42 Percent Effective in Adults This Year
The influenza vaccines currently being administered in the United States are estimated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be 42 percent effective in adults. This is an interim estimate for the 2023-2024 “flu season” published in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on Feb. 29, 2024.1 2 3 […]
CDC’s ACIP Vaccine Advisory Panel Lacks Leader and Voting Members
Opinion | In making decisions about which vaccines should or should not be given to people and when developing childhood, adolescent and adult vaccination schedules, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) heavily relies on recommendations provided by an outside group of 15 medical and public health professionals, who make up a panel known […]
BARDA Awards $9.27 Million Contract to Evaluate Oral Pill COVID Vaccine
Biotechnology firm Vaxart, Inc. announced on Jan. 19, 2024 that it received a $9.27 million contract from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to fund preparations for a Phase IIb clinical trial to evaluate the company’s oral pill XXB COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The trial is expected to involve 10,000 participants and will […]
