Drug manufacturers will make available 230,000 additional doses of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shot for infants by mid-January for this RSV season, amid a nationwide shortage that’s left parents and pediatricians scrambling.
White House officials have been privately meeting with drug manufacturers and partners of RSV immunizations almost weekly, including Sanofi, AstraZeneca and Thermo Fisher, to increase supply.
In a statement, manufacturer Sanofi said the additional doses are “being brought forward from the 2024 season.” They will be equitably distributed through the Vaccines for Children Program, which provides free vaccines for low-income families, and the private market “on a limited basis.”
Pediatricians and hospitals have been struggling to stock the immunization due to what Sanofi said was “unprecedented” demand, and a nationwide shortage has worsened just as RSV season is peaking.
For instance, a representative from Sanofi told the American Academy of Pediatrics last month that within weeks of shipping, demand for the 100-milligram doses, intended for infants who weigh more than 11 pounds, exceeded the supply meant for the entire season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has urged doctors to ration doses and prioritize infants at highest risk.
In mid-October, manufacturers stopped taking new orders for the 100-milligram doses because supply had exceeded the high demand. The CDC also limited which states could order doses through its Vaccines for Children Program.
The companies released an additional 77,000 shots in November after federal health officials were able to expedite clearance of an existing batch from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But those doses weren’t enough to close the supply gap, and the White House has been pressing companies to find ways to meet demand and make more doses available.
“Families must be able to access the RSV vaccine. That’s exactly why the administration has been urging manufacturers to produce and release enough RSV vaccines to meet demand we’re seeing. As a result of this work, we are glad that manufacturers will make 230,000 additional shots available,” White House spokeswoman Kelly Scully said.
RSV infections in the U.S. began a sharp upward trend in the middle of October, and weekly cases have hovered at about 9,500 since mid-November.
Last year saw scores of young children infected by RSV much earlier than in past years, overwhelming children’s hospitals and emergency rooms across the country. This year, the cases are lower, but it’s also the first time there’s been a drug that can prevent RSV in all infants.
The shot wasn’t approved by federal regulators until late summer, and public health experts and pediatricians have questioned the wisdom of such a condensed timeline in making sure there were enough doses on the market before the start of RSV season.