Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

MONDAY, Dec. 23, 2024 -- Predictably, flu season is in full swing, with cases surging across the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Friday in a report. Thirteen states, including Tennessee and Louisiana, report high or very high levels of flu-like illness, double the number from the previous week, Dr. William Schaffner , an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University, told AP News . According to the CDC, flu-related emergency room visits and lab test confirmations are rising steadily, marking the start of what could be a challenging winter for respiratory viruses. “Flu has been increasing, but just this last week has exploded,” Dr. Schaffner added. Meanwhile, Louisiana is experiencing a similar spike. “Just this week is really that turning point where people are out because of the flu,” Dr. Catherine O’Neal of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, told AP News . “You hear parents saying, ‘I can’t come to work because of the flu’ and ‘Where can I get a flu test?’” Health experts are concerned about low flu vaccination rates this season. CDC data shows that as of Dec. 7, only 41% of adults and children had been vaccinated, with pediatric rates dropping from 44% last year. COVID vaccination rates are even lower, at 21% for adults and 11% for children. Public health officials are urging people to get their flu shots, especially ahead of holiday gatherings. “All those gatherings that are so heartwarming and fun and joyous are also an opportunity for this virus to spread person to person,” Dr. Schaffner stated. “It’s not too late to get vaccinated.” Despite this, however, Louisiana’s health department said in a statement Friday that it was actually backing away from recommending flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, the news release stated. An official wrote that the department’s latest position is that people should talk to their doctors about whether the shots make sense for them. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

Donald Trump is set to return to the White House after triumphing in the November 5 election. Image credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images. Donald Trump has been elected 47th president of the US after the 5 November election having won more than the 270-seat threshold needed. Despite his victory, what a second Trump presidency will mean for the healthcare industry remains unclear. During his campaign, the Republican spoke little about healthcare policy but did make some declarations, including that he would let Robert F Kennedy Jr “go wild” on healthcare and that RFK Jr would be able to “do what he wants” with women’s healthcare. Despite Trump’s reluctance to declare an official cabinet role for his one-time third-party rival, RFK Jr said that Trump had “promised” him control over public health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). RFK Jr has already questioned the Prescription Drug User Fee Act in a Washington Post op-ed and is known to be an anti-vaccine activist. It is unclear at this stage quite how much control RFK Jr will have in healthcare. Before the election , it was predicted that Trump would look to take a second pass at policies which were introduced but did not come to fruition during his first term. One of these is international reference pricing, more commonly known as the Most Favored Nation (MFN) rule. Trump’s 2020 version stated it would establish a mandatory seven-year demonstration to tie prices for drugs under Medicare Part B to the lower prices given to other countries. During his campaign, Trump said he intends to repeal Biden’s Artificial Intelligence Executive Order (EO), which he states “hinders innovation” and looks to support AI development “rooted in free speech and human flourishing”. The 2019 Trump EO, which is expected to be a springboard, focused on R&D in the AI field. In his first term, Trump was unable to overturn Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act. He has said he would be looking to put in a new system, calling the act “lousy healthcare”. When asked in the ABC News debate in September what his plan would be, Trump said he had “concepts of a plan” to replace the ACA but provided no details. Trump attempted to partially repeal the ACA by passing the American Health Care Act (ACHA), which would have repealed the individual and employer mandate, amended Medicaid eligibility, and weakened protections for patients with pre-existing conditions. A new chair of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will be assigned under the Trump administration, despite Trump’s vice-presidential candidate JD Vance complimenting the current Democratic chair Lina Khan on her tenure, including praising her work challenging certain FDA orange book patents. A central part of Harris’ campaign for abortion rights, however, this may not have had the impact she may have hoped as the 5 November ballot included abortion rights voted for ten states. Despite being a Republican-leaning state, Montana voted to retain the right to abortion. Although Floridians voted to protect abortion rights, due to the ballot needing a super majority, the swing was not enough. It has already been declared that the Republicans have gained control of the Senate after taking more than the 50-seat threshold needed, with more seats still to be counted.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Sept. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCRX) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded BioCryst up to a $69 million contract for the procurement of up to 95,625 doses over a five-year period of RAPIVAB® (peramivir injection) for the treatment of influenza. The contract, awarded by the HHS Office of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), will supply the Center for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), the nation’s largest supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency. The contract is structured with a 12-month base ordering period and four optional 12-month ordering periods, which the government can exercise on an annual basis. ASPR has executed the first ordering period for $13.9 million and BioCryst plans to supply 19,125 doses to fulfill this option between now and September 29, 2025. “Since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, RAPIVAB has been an important component of the U.S. government’s influenza preparedness efforts. As we continue to see emerging changes to circulating influenza viruses, we are pleased to fulfill this order to ensure RAPIVAB remains readily available as a therapeutic option in the event of a potential serious influenza outbreak,” said Dr. Helen Thackray, chief research and development officer of BioCryst. RAPIVAB was originally stockpiled by the U.S. government under an emergency use authorization in 2009 during the H1N1 influenza pandemic. In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded the company a $34.7 million contract for the procurement of up to 50,000 doses of RAPIVAB over a five-year period for the SNS, which was completed by BioCryst in 2022. About RAPIVAB® (peramivir injection)RAPIVAB® (peramivir injection) is approved in the United States for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza in patients six months and older who have been symptomatic for no more than two days. It is administered via an intravenous infusion for a minimum of 15 minutes at recommended doses of 600 mg for adults and adolescents and 12 mg/kg for pediatric patients ages six months to 12 years. Efficacy of RAPIVAB is based on clinical trials of naturally occurring influenza in which the predominant influenza infections were influenza A virus and a limited number of patients infected with influenza B virus. Visit www.rapivab.com to learn more. About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals BioCryst Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company with a deep commitment to improving the lives of people living with complement-mediated and other rare diseases. BioCryst leverages its expertise in structure-guided drug design to develop first-in-class or best-in-class oral small-molecule and protein therapeutics to target difficult-to-treat diseases. BioCryst has commercialized ORLADEYO® (berotralstat), the first oral, once-daily plasma kallikrein inhibitor, and is advancing a pipeline of small-molecule and protein therapies. For more information, please visit www.biocryst.com or follow us on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding BioCryst’s plans and expectations for RAPIVAB. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that could affect the forward-looking statements contained herein include: the HHS may purchase smaller quantities of RAPIVAB than currently anticipated, or none at all; BioCryst relies on third-party manufacturers to manufacture RAPIVAB in a timely manner and in accordance with applicable governmental regulations, and any failure of such third-party manufacturers to perform their obligations could impact BioCryst’s ability to supply RAPIVAB pursuant to the HHS procurement contract; and government contracts contain certain terms and conditions, including termination provisions, that subject BioCryst to additional risks. Please refer to the documents BioCryst files periodically with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically BioCryst’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, which identify important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in BioCryst’s forward-looking statements. BCRXW Contact:John Bluth+1 919 859 7910jbluth@biocryst.com