Non-COVID approvals and guidance you may have missed in 2021

Unsurprisingly, many of our most-read stories in 2021 were about the COVID-19 pandemic. Stories about COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics were popular, especially those dealing with approvals, authorizations or recommendations.

Below, we have listed nine stories about approvals or recommendations issued in 2021 that did not relate to COVID-19.

ACIP recommends universal hepatitis B vaccination for adults aged 19 to 59 years

In November, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to recommend hepatitis B virus vaccination for all adults aged 19 to 59 years. The recommendation said adults in this age group — plus adults aged 60 years or older with risk factors — “should” be vaccinated against HBV. It said adults aged 60 years or older who do not have known risk factors for HBV infection “may” receive an HBV vaccine. Read more.

CDC says all sexually active patients should be told about HIV PrEP

The CDC recommended that all sexually active adult and adolescent patients be informed about HIV PrEP. In an updated clinical practice guideline, the CDC also added a recommendation for prescribing long-acting cabotegravir for PrEP before it was even approved. Read more.

‘Historic moment’: WHO recommends malaria vaccine for children

In October, WHO recommended the widespread use of a malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and other areas heavily impacted by the mosquito-borne disease, which kills more than 400,000 people a year. Read more.

ACIP unanimously recommends dengue vaccine for children aged 9 to 16 years

In June, the ACIP voted unanimously to recommend the use of an approved three-dose dengue vaccine for children aged 9 to 16 years who live in endemic areas by a vote of 14-0. Additionally, the committee also recommended the vaccine be covered under the Vaccines for Children program. Read more.

FDA approves Merck’s 15-valent pneumococcal vaccine

In July, the FDA approved Vaxneuvance, Merck’s 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, for adults aged 18 years or older. Read more.

CDC updates STI treatment guidelines for first time since 2015

Also in July, the CDC published updated clinical guidelines for the treatment of STIs amid a sustained national increase in cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. The guidance, updated for the first time since 2015, also included prevention strategies and diagnostic recommendations. Read more.

FDA approves Pfizer’s first-in-US tick-borne encephalitis vaccine

In August, Pfizer’s Ticovac, a vaccine for tick-borne encephalitis, was approved by the FDA — the first vaccine of its kind to be approved in the United States. Read more.

FDA expands approval of cell-based flu vaccine down to age 6 months

The FDA expanded the age indication of the only cell-based inactivated influenza vaccine approved for use in the United States to include children as young as age 6 months, the vaccine’s manufacturer announced in October. Read more.

CDC advisory committee updates recommendations for pneumococcal, zoster vaccines

The ACIP made new recommendations for adult pneumococcal and herpes zoster vaccination. Read more.