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Once thriving, the influenza vaccine business in the United States is on a dramatic downward trend. Only 157 million flu shots have been distributed so far during the 2023-2024 flu season.
This data indicates a 19% decrease for the 2020-2021 season when 194 million flu shots were distributed.
With the influenza vaccine's efficacy hovering around 50%, the protective benefits people receive cannot be the reason behind this sudden, negative trend.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has just announced positive topline results from the Phase 2a Carpo trial evaluating TP-05 (lotilaner). This novel, oral therapeutic candidate has shown remarkable effectiveness in preventing Lyme disease.
TP-05 is not U.S. FDA-approved but is believed to be the only non-vaccine, drug-based, preventative therapeutic in development designed to kill ticks before they transmit Lyme disease to people.
This vector-borne disease often goes undetected because ticks are not always noticed.

A recent investment case has shown that a successful polio transition in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region can generate a high return on investment.
According to the study, sustaining and integrating polio assets into expanded immunization, surveillance, and emergency response programs can bring economic and social benefits worth an estimated $289.2 billion.
With the current cost of this work being $7.5 billion, it means that for every dollar spent, the return on investment is almost $39.

It's important to remember that influenza vaccine protection starts very strong but declines throughout flu season as antibody levels wane.
A study published in Eurosurveillance on February 22, 2024, compiled data across nine flu seasons in Ontario, Canada, revealing that influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) waned about 9% every 28 days beginning 41 days post-vaccination.
This trend was detected in adults but not in children.

The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which has been around for over a century and is known for enhancing the body's immunity against tuberculosis and other diseases, is a potential breakthrough in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
HCC is the most common type of liver cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally.
According to the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, an estimated 41,210 new HCC cases would be diagnosed in the United States in 2023.