The White House is pressing suppliers to meet the demand "with a sense of urgency" after drugmakers underestimated the demand for Beyfortus, the first respiratory syncytial virus drug for children.
Biden administration officials met with suppliers Nov. 27 to discuss how to move forward heading into winter, when RSV tends to increase. They also discussed planning for the second year of the monoclonal antibody drug's rollout next fall, according to a Nov. 28 White House news release.
The CDC released an additional 77,000 doses of Beyfortus on Nov. 16 to increase access after advising clinicians in late October to reserve the dwindling supplies for those most in need.
"Monday's meeting follows numerous in-person and virtual meetings to seek ways manufacturers can make more RSV immunizations available for infants," the news release read. "CDC's Vaccines for Children program provides vaccines to half of America's children and senior administration officials will continue to work directly with distributors and manufacturers to make sure the RSV immunization, flu vaccine, and updated COVID-19 vaccine are available."