The FDA and CDC are working to deploy more Beyfortus doses as its maker underestimated demand for the first respiratory syncytial virus drug approved for children.
On Nov. 16, the CDC said it released 77,000 Beyfortus (nirsevimab-alip) intramuscular injection solutions, which are being sent to physicians and hospitals through commercial channels and the CDC's Vaccines for Children Program.
The nation's RSV rate doubled from about 5% to 10% in one month, and children's hospitals are feeling the strain. In Texas, the emergency department at Fort Worth Cook Children's is seeing 500 patients a day with RSV and other respiratory viruses.
The fill rate of antibiotics for bacterial infections associated with RSV increased from 1.04% to 1.42% over the last four weeks, according to GoodRx. The fill rate as of Nov. 10, 1.42%, is the percentage of oral solution antibiotics over all prescription fills.
In late October, the CDC advised clinicians to ration Beyfortus doses to the most severe cases.
It's uncommon for a drug to fall into shortage because of high demand — most shortages are because of quality, manufacturing or supply issues — but Wegovy, Ozempic and Beyfortus are the few whose drugmakers failed to anticipate their demand.
In response to families scrambling to find the monoclonal antibody for RSV, the FDA and CDC said they're working with manufacturers to ensure the supply meets demand throughout late 2023 and early 2023.