"For Meningitis B Vaccines, Climbing Revenue, And Plenty Of Skepticism" - Shefali Lethra
Small college outbreaks four years ago of meningitis B — an extremely rare variation of the dangerous infection — have set off a lucrative new business: persuading parents that pricey vaccines are a loving investment for their college-bound children. Vaccine makers are hoping to profit from an ailment that very few people get. Still, analysts expect the two medications to generate at least hundreds of millions of dollars in global sales annually. But the industry’s gain may come at the expense of efficient health care spending and inflated consumer concern. “As a mom, I would say, if my kid got this disease, and I had had the opportunity to prevent it, and I didn’t, I would blame myself,” said Martha Arden, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and medical director of The Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center. “But the odds are small. It’s much more dangerous to send a kid out skiing than it is to not give the vaccine.”
- Martha Arden, MD, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Medical Director, The Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center