10/24/2023

Due to Drug Shortages, CDC Updates RSV Shot Recommendations

The CDC is advising healthcare providers to prioritize administering nirsevimab

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health alert Monday in response to limited supplies of an antibody drug designed to protect infants from the respiratory disease RSV. The update comes as RSV cases have started to rise in parts of the United States with the onset of cold and flu season, creating a conundrum for many pediatricians.

The CDC is now advising pediatricians and other healthcare providers to prioritize administering certain doses of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody sold under the brand name Beyfortus, to infants with the highest risk of developing severe respiratory syncytial virus.

"The shortage is pretty disheartening," said Scott Roberts, an infectious-disease physician at Yale School of Medicine. "I had hoped we learned lessons from COVID, where we foresee these challenges [because] it seems like this was a preventable shortage where we should have anticipated the demand."

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.