Each week we highlight five things affecting the life sciences industry. Here’s the latest.
- The Centers for Disease Control has updated its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine recommendations now advising that only adults aged 75 and older, or those 60 to 74 with high-risk conditions, should receive the vaccination.
- Live Science reports that the CDC’s RSV vaccine guideline revision is a response to unexpected increases in Guillain-Barré syndrome cases, a serious condition that can lead to paralysis and life-threatening respiratory muscle involvement.
- Pharmaceutical executives from many companies have acknowledged the finalized Medicare drug prices for their treatments, expressing confidence in managing the short-term impact, but voicing strong concerns about the long-term effects on innovation and patient care in the U.S.
- CNBC reports that Medicare’s initial drug price negotiation round has concluded, with the finalized prices for 10 drugs to be announced in September and implemented in 2026.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health released a discussion paper addressing health equity in medical devices, seeking public input to improve health outcomes across diverse populations.
- The paper highlights three key considerations for designing clinical studies: disease burden, physiology, and technology, and it encourages public feedback to enhance the generalizability of clinical data for diverse populations.
- Entrepreneurs advocate for personalized genetic medicines for rare diseases, emphasizing the moral imperative and commercial potential, as reported by BioSpace.
- Advances in genome sequencing and reproducible platform technologies like ASOs and mRNA are paving the way for these individualized therapies, aiming to make them commercially viable and accessible.
- Merck KGaA reported a 2% growth in sales for its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) group, bolstered by both its health care and electronics divisions.
- Per Fierce Pharma, Merck KGaA’s life science CDMO division has struggled driven by multiple factors including a drop in demand for COVID-19 related services.
For more insights in life sciences, check out RSM’s industry outlook.