Measles cases hit record – plus, BIO's take on the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act

Measles cases hit record

Low vaccination rates mean 2025 is already America’s worst year for measles since 1992, a disturbing comeback for a preventable disease eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.

The numbers: As of July 9, 1,288 measles cases had been reported by 39 jurisdictions this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 92% of those infected were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccine status. Three died and 162 have been hospitalized.

The context: The introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963 effectively eliminated the disease in the U.S. But vaccination rates have dropped since the pandemic.

Herd immunity requires 95% vaccination. But vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergartners decreased from 95.2% in 2019-2020 to 92.7% in 2023-2024, leaving approximately 280,000 kindergartners at risk in 2023-2024.

Measles is preventable. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, part of the standard childhood vaccination schedule, is safe, “and people who decide not to vaccinate their children because of religious or personal beliefs put their children and others at risk for getting these diseases,” says the CDC.

BIO’s take: “Decades ago, diseases like polio and measles brought suffering and death with no defense. Today, immunization represents the right and the ability to defend and protect those we love,” says BIO’s campaign, “Invest in America. Vaccinate.”

BIO hails progress on orphan drug incentives and R&D deductions

BIO hailed the inclusion of incentives for orphan drugs to treat rare diseases and tax deductions for R&D in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) passed July 3.

ORPHAN Cures Act language corrects one of the many flaws of the Inflation Reduction Act by allowing orphan drugs that treat more than one rare disease to remain exempt from price controls. “Its passage is a major, life-saving victory for rare disease patients too often overlooked by our society,” says a statement from BIO.

Full R&D deductions mean biotechs won’t be taxed for money they are spending on researching and developing a new drug. The deduction “will allow small, emerging companies to be more nimble and more focused on getting innovative medicines from the lab bench to a patient’s bedside,” BIO says.

BIO’s view: “These have been long-time priorities for innovators and patients and will help strengthen America’s leadership in biotechnology, while ensuring continued investment in new medicines that will transform the standard of care for devastating diseases,” continues BIO.

More to do: The original House version of the OBBBA contained provisions to prevent pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) abuses that inflate prices and limit patient access. BIO supports those provisions, which were dropped from OBBBA before passage but are revived in the new PBM Reform Act, introduced July 10 by Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) with bipartisan support.

What Else to Read

Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approves $7 billion Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fiscal 2026 budget. It exceeds the $6.8 billion total recommended by President Trump and approved by the House Appropriations Committee. It includes $3.6 billion from federal funds and $3.4 billion from user fees. The Senate Appropriation Committee’s report on its proposal notes concerns over “hiring restrictions in place at the FDA for scientists, product reviewers, and inspectors.” The House and Senate Appropriation Committee proposals must be approved by their respective full chambers and then brought into agreement. Read more.

“Biotechnology is at such a critical inflection point," says Fritz Bittenbender, the new Chair of the Board of BIO, "and BIO is going to be the key catalyst that assures we can continue to grow the biotech industry.” Bittenbender, Genentech’s Senior VP and Head of Public Affairs & Access, gave an interview after his election at BIO 2025 in Boston. “In the past, we have really focused on protection of our industry, which has made it harder to put energy into really innovative policy solutions, but we are doing more to push those forward,” he said. Read more in Bio.News.

BIO’s expert invited to address DOJ and FTC. Dr. Hans Sauer, BIO’s Deputy General Counsel and VP for Intellectual Property, was invited to address a Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission listening session. Sauer said that multiple patents are common, not only in biotech, and that drugmakers often come up with new, patentable innovations for existing drugs. Asked how to lower drug prices, he said, “We have to find a way to unburden patients and share in savings, and that presupposes PBM reform.” Read more in Bio.News.

FDA approves Moderna’s COVID vaccine for young children. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Moderna’s Spikevax® COVID vaccine for use in children aged 6 months to 11 years old who are at increased risk for the disease, Moderna announced July 10. The vaccine was previously available for pediatric populations under Emergency Use Authorization.

Beltway Report

On July 9, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved the nomination of Susan Monarez to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by a party-line vote of 12-11. Monarez had been acting director of the CDC until her nomination in March. Her nomination by the HELP Committee must now be approved by the full Senate, which had not scheduled a vote on the issue as of last week.

The Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations has scheduled a hearing tomorrow, July 15, “Voices of the Vaccine Injured.”