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Busy Wednesday—but first, a look at PASTEUR Act advocacy yesterday from BIO (and Gronk), news on the new COVID vaccines, and BIO’s agriculture and environment awardees. (697 words, 3 minutes, 29 seconds) |
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BIO leads advocates in promoting PASTEUR Act on Capitol Hill |
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BIO and coalition partners led an Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill yesterday, urging congressional action on the PASTEUR Act to help address the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The contingent: 54 advocates, including doctors, patients, AMR companies, and nonprofits, met with 73 congressional offices on Capitol Hill yesterday to promote the PASTEUR Act.
Why PASTEUR? We need new drugs to fight AMR, but to remain effective, antimicrobials must be used only when appropriate, which makes it exceedingly challenging for small antimicrobial developers to remain commercially viable.The PASTEUR Act would provide a pull incentive, creating a new subscription-like model for companies developing novel antimicrobials.
Focus on fungal infections: The group joined yesterday’s relaunch of the bipartisan Valley Fever Task Force, dedicated to improving awareness and legislation to support a cure for valley fever.
The challenge: Valley fever, a lung infection caused by a fungus found in hot, dry climates, could be addressed with new antifungals developed with PASTEUR support. Climate change has been increasing the range of valley fever.
AMR Solutions discussed: The task force heard about efforts to develop a valley fever vaccine for humans. Representing Anivive LifeSciences—makers of the first-ever vaccine for systemic fungal infections—four-time Super Bowl Champ Rob Gronkowski explained why we need to support a cure, and address AMR.
What’s next: BIO will continue to advocate for passage of the PASTEUR Act, which “will fix the broken ecosystem for antimicrobial development" according to Emily Wheeler, Director, Infectious Disease Policy at BIO. |
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More Agriculture & Environment News:
BIO: BIO honors biotech leaders for breakthroughs in ag & environment biotech
“Dr. Pam Marrone, Co-founder and Executive Chair of Invasive Species Corp., is the recipient of the Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology and Agriculture. Hank Harris, DVM PhD, Co-founder of Genvax Technologies, and Professor Emeritus at Iowa State University, is the recipient of BIO’s George Washington Carver Award for Leadership in Agriculture and Environmental Biotechnology.” (We’ll have more about them tomorrow!) |
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CDC recommends everyone get updated COVID-19 vaccines |
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Everyone aged 6 months and up should get one dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced yesterday.
The news: After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) greenlit the updated vaccines Monday, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 13-1 to recommend them and CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen signed off.
Why it matters: The recommendations come as school and respiratory illness season are beginning and COVID is surging, with U.S. hospitalizations up 8.7% and deaths up 2.1% in the latest week measured.
Who should get a shot? Even if they’ve received previous vaccines, people 6 years and up should get a single dose of the updated vaccines. For those 6 months to 5 years, 2-3 doses total, including one updated vaccine, are recommended.
What’s updated: The new Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines were designed to target the Omicron XBB.1.5 mutation of the virus that was circulating in January. Both shots also proved effective against the now-dominant EG.5 (Eris) variant and newer BA.2.86 (Pirola) variant.
What they’re saying: “We have more tools than ever to prevent the worst outcomes from COVID-19,” said CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen in a statement. “CDC is now recommending updated COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months and older to better protect you and your loved ones.” More Health News: STAT News (Opinion): The IRA needs changes to better support patients with rare diseases
“Unless Congress acts, the IRA threatens to unravel one of America’s greatest medical and public policy success stories: the explosion of new treatments for patients living with rare diseases,” write BIO CEO Rachel King and National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) President and CEO Peter L. Saltonstall. |
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President Biden’s Wednesday: Meeting with his Cancer Cabinet to discuss public and private efforts to end cancer, per CNN.
What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: As Congress grapples with spending legislation, the Senate is set to resume consideration of a “minibus” spending bill, including appropriations for FDA’s agriculture work, military construction, and transportation-HUD measures. No vote is scheduled today, POLITICO reports. In the House, Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s call for an impeachment inquiry into President Biden was apparently meant to quell conservative criticism of McCarthy’s actions on spending, but it did not seem to change ultraconservatives views on spending legislation, POLITICO says. |
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