A U.S. advisory panel on vaccines voted Friday to end the long-standing recommendation requiring all newborns to receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth, a policy that has been in place since 1991. The panel instead recommended that only babies whose mothers test positive for hepatitis B should receive the shot immediately after birth.
The change represents a significant shift in public health policy that could have implications for vaccine manufacturers and healthcare providers nationwide. The original universal vaccination recommendation was implemented to prevent mother-to-child transmission and protect infants who might otherwise be exposed to the virus through household contacts or medical procedures.
Companies like Soligenix Inc. (NASDAQ: SNGX) that have vaccine development programs may need to reassess market projections and research priorities in light of this policy change. The biotechnology sector, which includes numerous companies focused on vaccine development, often responds to such regulatory shifts with adjustments to research and development strategies.
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The policy change recommendation now moves to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for consideration. If adopted, it would mark the first major revision to newborn hepatitis B vaccination policy in over three decades. Healthcare providers would need to implement new screening protocols to identify at-risk infants while adjusting standard vaccination schedules for the majority of newborns.
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