What We’re Reading: Inflation Penalties; Melanoma Vaccine; Respiratory Vaccine Coverage

Moderna-Merck Vaccine Halves Melanoma Recurrence Risk

Moderna and Merck announced on Thursday that a vaccine is showing promising results in treating melanoma, according to CBS News. To test the efficacy of the vaccine, they conducted an ongoing randomized trial in 157 patients with high-risk stage III and IV melanoma who first had surgery to completely remove cancerous growths. Compared with those who only received Keytruda (pembrolizumab), those who received both the vaccine and Keytruda were 49% less likely to die or have their cancer recur in 3 years. The companies have begun phase 3 trials of mRNA-4157 with Keytruda for those with stage III and IV melanoma; the FDA designated the treatment as a breakthrough therapy earlier this year to expedite its development and review since it is used to treat a life-threatening disease.

Biden Administration to Impose Inflation Penalties on Drugmakers

The White House announced on Thursday that the Biden administration will implement inflation penalties on dozens of drugmakers to reduce out-of-pocket costs for Medicare recipients, according to CNBC. This is a result of President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which includes a provision to penalize drugmakers for charging prices that rise faster than inflation for patients with Medicare coverage. The White House explained that the prices of 64 drugs this year increased faster than inflation, with 48 of these drugs doing so during the last quarter of 2023; the 48 drugs may be subject to inflation rebates in the first quarter of 2024 due to the IRA.

Urgent Need to Increase Respiratory Vaccine Coverage, CDC Says

The CDC issued an alert on Thursday urging health care providers to increase immunization coverage for influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), according to Reuters. In the past 4 weeks, hospitalizations among all age groups increased by 200% for influenza, 60% for RSV, and 51% for COVID-19. The CDC noted that low vaccination rates, coupled with the ongoing increase in respiratory disease activity, could lead to more severe disease and increased health care capacity strain in the coming weeks. To prevent this, the CDC is suggesting that health care providers recommend antiviral medications for influenza and COVID-19 to all eligible patients.