The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has refused to begin a formal review of Moderna’s application for approval of a new mRNA-based influenza vaccine, triggering a sharp drop in the company’s share price and reigniting criticism of the direction of U.S. vaccination policy.
A US federal vaccine advisory committee has announced that it will re-assess all existing vaccination recommendations. Statements from its new chair have triggered strong reactions from the public-health community, which warns that a shift in the committee’s operating philosophy could accelerate declines in vaccination coverage and increase outbreaks of infectious diseases in the United States.
The FDA, through its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), has informed manufacturers of several widely used influenza vaccines that safety information must be updated after post-marketing surveillance data revealed a small but statistically significant increase in the risk of febrile seizures in young children shortly after vaccination.
Scientists have shown that inhibiting a single specific enzyme can trigger the regeneration of joint cartilage and significantly slow the progression of osteoarthritis. The study indicates that the experimental therapy worked not only in older mice, but also in models of traumatic osteoarthritis and in human cartilage tissue.