RSV vaccines must go to the right people

Plus more health news | Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Health Matters]( [How to get RSV vaccines to those who need them most]( By Oliver Staley Heath Editor In the wake of the rapid deployment and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines, other, more specialized vaccines are now available. Among them are treatments for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, an illness that can affect the very young and the very old. Unlike COVID vaccines, these new treatments are expensive, so it makes sense to first get them into the arms of those who need them most. As Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal, the former editor-in-chief for KFF Health, writes in TIME, that’s what's happening in Europe, where policymakers can guide national health systems into making decisions that are good for both public health and public finances. As a result, they are prioritizing the health of infants, who are both more vulnerable to RSV and have many more years to live. But, as Rosenthal points out, the U.S. lacks such government planning, and so the market takes the lead. Here, drug makers Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline are marketing RSV vaccines to seniors, who are bombarded with ads for the shot on TV. The math for the companies is simple: There are 75 million older Americans who are eligible for the drug, and they don't need a prescription to get the shot, regardless of whether they're vulnerable to RSV or not. On the other hand, there are only 3.7 million infants born each year—and none of them are paying attention to ads on TV. It doesn’t have to be this way, Rosenthal writes. As the pandemic effort shows, it’s possible to have a cohesive national vaccination strategy. But it requires leadership from policy makers. [READ MORE]( Share This Story What Else to Read [Why Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Early Is So Important]( By Alice Park New data from Eli Lilly and Eisai show that their Alzheimer's drugs are more effective when started earlier in the disease progression. [Read More »]( [The Scientists Breaking AI to Make It Safer]( By Billy Perrigo To better guard against AI used to spread misinformation, scientists teamed up to train large language models at an event in London. [Read More »]( [How to Be Mindful if You Hate Meditating]( By Angela Haupt Put a puzzle together or listen to music. [Read More »]( [The Best Way to Break Up With Someone, According to Experts]( By Jamie Ducharme Ending a relationship is difficult, even if you're the one doing the dumping. (Originally published in 2018.) [Read More »]( [Do Massages Have Real Health Benefits?]( By Markham Heid The perks of a good massage are more than skin deep. (Originally published in 2018.) [Read More »]( AN EXPERT VOICE "Once babies are old enough, they should be eating the family meal, and maybe a vitamin if there's some type of deficiency. They don't need toddler beverages." —Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at New York University If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, [click here](. Today's newsletter was written by Oliver Staley and Haley Weiss, and edited by Angela Haupt. [Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters.]( [Subscribe to TIME]( TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Connect with TIME via [Facebook]( | [Twitter]( | [Newsletters]( [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS]( TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508 Questions? Contact health@time.com Copyright © 2023 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.