Pharma Industry Pushes Back Against Trump's Vaccine Split-Up Order
President Trump's executive order to split up the MMR vaccine into three separate doses has been met with skepticism from the pharmaceutical industry. The Hill reports that drugmakers and trade groups have expressed concerns about the lack of scientific reasoning behind the directive.
The administration failed to provide any new data to support splitting up the shot, which would likely require six visits to complete a full schedule - compared to the two doses the combined vaccine is currently administered in. This could lead to higher costs for families and lower compliance rates as patients become more likely to miss appointments.
Merck and GSK, the two major manufacturers of the MMR vaccine in the US, have expressed no interest in taking up the task. According to The Hill, 'Currently, no single-antigen measles, mumps, or rubella vaccines are approved in the U.S.' This means that bringing three monovalent vaccines would involve a slew of regulatory hurdles and potentially cost billions.
Dr. Ronald G. Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, echoed these concerns, stating 'At a time when measles outbreaks are already threatening communities across the country, making vaccination more complicated and burdensome risks further reducing vaccination rates and leaving more children vulnerable to a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease.'