FDA Decisions to Watch Q1-Q2: Infectious Disease
CHIKV VLP PDUFA Date: 2/14/2025 Company: Bavarian Nordic The CHIKV VLP vaccine is a single-dose vaccine aimed at preventing chikungunya virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes and can cause fever and debilitating joint pain. If approved, this will be the first and only VLP-based vaccine for chikungunya available in the US The vaccine is being […]
State of Kansas Reports Country’s Largest Tuberculosis Outbreak
This is a medical illustration of drug-resistant, Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, presented in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publication entitled, Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019 (AR Threats Report). Illustrator credit: Alissa Eckert; James Archer The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is reporting a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in the […]
Immune Deficits in Some Valley Fever Patients Hinder Response to Antifungal Treatment
Valley fever, caused by Coccidioides fungi, remains a serious concern, particularly in regions like California and Arizona. Antifungal treatments are effective for many patients, but for others, they’re not enough. George Thompson, MD, professor of infectious disease at UC Davis Medical Center, sheds light on this issue and the ongoing research efforts to better understand […]
Copay Assistance is Not Going Towards Patient Deductibles Thus Leaving People With Out-of-Pocket Costs
Wendy Dann was diagnosed with MS in 2009. She has had varying symptoms such as weakness in her left leg, issues with cognitive functioning, swallowing, and grasping with her hands. She is a theater professor at Ithaca College and playwright, and despite her ongoing health issues, she still feels fortunate. She has been stable on […]
Improving Antibiotic Stewardship for UTIs in Ambulatory Settings
Mackenzie Keintz, MD Image credits: UNMC Ambulatory antibiotic stewardship has focused mainly on respiratory infections, overlooking common conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), which make up a significant portion of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions. To address this, researchers developed and validated an antibiotic appropriateness metric for UTIs to improve prescribing practices, reduce unnecessary use, and combat […]
In Response to Outbreak, 2-Dose Hepatitis E Vaccines Shows High Efficacy
Andrew Azman, PhD Image credit: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hepatitis E (HEV) is more common in many parts of the world where sanitation is poor and people have limited access to clean drinking water.1 It is more rare in the US, but […]
Fungal Infection Diagnosis, Misdiagnoses, and Global Health Initiatives
David W Denning, FRCP FRCPath FMedSci, professor of infectious diseases and global health at the University of Manchester, and a key figure in GAFFI, discussed the ongoing challenges in diagnosing and treating fungal infections. He also highlighted the goals and successes of the “95-95 by 2025” campaign, which seeks to address global care gaps for […]
Novel Compound Demonstrates Activity Against Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci
Professor Takeshi Murata, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University Image credit: Chiba University Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) is an opportunistic pathogen thatcan causes severe hospital-acquired bacterial infections like endocarditis and sepsis and has developed resistance to multiple antibiotics.1 Inpatients at risk for VRE infections include those who are immunocompromised; those who have taken vancomycin and other […]
The Top 5 Infectious Disease News Stories Week of January 18-25
Fungal Infections: Invisible Until It’s Too Late Fungal infections impact over 1 billion people globally each year, leading to millions of life-threatening cases and deaths. In response to this under-recognized health threat, the Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections (GAFFI) launched the “95-95 by 2025” initiative, aiming to diagnose and treat 95% of serious fungal […]
Investigational Live Biotherapeutic Product Significantly Reduces Risk of Recurrent Clostridioides difficile
In additional findings published this week, the investigational therapy, VE303, which is being developed for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI)demonstrated it was able to reduce the chance of recurrence by more than 80% compared to placebo in its phase 2 CONSORTIUM study.1 “Due to VE303’s precisely known, defined composition, we can study its mechanisms of […]
