Independent Insights, a Health Mart Podcast
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Independent Insights, a Health Mart Podcast
RSV Vaccines vs. Monoclonal Antibodies
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continues to pose a serious health threat—particularly to infants, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals—making it critical for pharmacy professionals to stay up to date on prevention and treatment options. This episode covers the latest FDA-approved RSV therapies, including vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, while highlighting clinical pearls for use across care settings. Tune in to stay informed and better support patients during the upcoming respiratory season.
HOST
Joshua Davis Kinsey, PharmD
VP, Education
CEimpact
GUEST
Kalen Manasco, PharmD, BCPS, BCPPS, FCCP, FPPA
Professor
University of Florida College of Pharmacy
Joshua Davis Kinsey and Kalen Manasco have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.
Pharmacists, REDEEM YOUR CPE HERE!
CPE is available to Health Mart franchise members only
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CPE INFORMATION
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this knowledge-based activity, participants should be able to:
1. Differentiate between RSV vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies, including their indications and target patient populations.
2. Identify key counseling points and administration considerations associated with currently available RSV vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies.
0.05 CEU/0.5 Hr
UAN: 0107-0000-25-312-H01-P
Initial release date: 11/3/2025
Expiration date: 11/3/2026
Additional CPE details can be found here.
Hi, Healthmart Pharmacists. From your education partner CE Impact, this is Game Changers. And each week we have a conversation on a hot clinical topic that will keep you current in practice and position you as a resource for prescribers and patients. Thanks for listening in.
SPEAKER_01:Respiratory sanctional virus continues to cause significant illness in infants, older adults, and high-risk groups, making recent advancements in prevention more important than ever. In this episode, we'll break down the current landscape of RSV vaccines and monoclonal antibodies so that you can confidently support immunization efforts across pharmacy settings. And it is great to have a longtime friend. Kayla Monasco is our guest for today's episode. Kaylin, it's so good to see you. Thanks for being here today.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you for inviting me, Josh. And it's great to see you. We had a few minutes to catch up, and that was always lovely. It is a former student of mine.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, we have known each other for over two decades now, which is just wild to say. So yeah, super fun to, it's one of the things I've enjoyed being in this role is bringing back some old friends and colleagues that are experts in different spaces and getting to catch up with them and share the podcast with them. So super fun. So thank you again for being here. And for those people listening, Caitlin, that haven't known you for over two decades, tell us a little bit about yourself and maybe a little about your practice side and your passion for what you do.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah, so I have been a pediatric pharmacist for over 20 years, like Josh said. And I'm currently a clinical professor at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. And I have a clinical practice site for part of the time at ULF Health Shans here in Gainesville, Florida. And I recently transitioned over, I've always been very interested in infectious diseases. I have a background in microbiology and I've always been really interested in pediatric patients. Um so and they get a lot of infections and come to the hospital. So I've recently transitioned into a practice site where I do a lot more with the pediatric infectious diseases team and antimicrobial stewardship. So that's very exciting. So when I got this information about this podcast, it's helpful because I also am very involved and passionate about pharmacy residency training and literally working on a project right now with my resident about the RSV monoclonal antibody and it's used last year. So this is very timely.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's great. That's great. Yeah, I know that you have, you know, when we were talking about RSV, it you were one of the first people that popped in my head because I know you've been in that space and you're super passionate. And I always actually forget that you have your microbiology degree. So that, yeah, that was that's a good reminder for me as well. So, but yes, thank you again. I know this is taking time out of your schedule. You're obviously still in your office and giving us your time. So thank you so much. We really appreciate it. So, as you all know, our listeners out there are very aware of the fact that we're coming up on the respiratory virus season, right? So the fall is when we start seeing a lot of those things peak. COVID, flu, RSV has been really in in and kind of pushed towards us recently with a lot of information. And we just really kind of wanted to come together today and just kind of reset the stage and make sure everybody's on the same level and understanding what RSV is and who it infects and why it's important that we are fighting against it in addition to flu and COVID and other things. So, so Kaelin, I'll let you kind of spend just a couple minutes just reminding us what RSV is. I mentioned it, what it stood for earlier, but go ahead and tell us again and just kind of tell us its significance in the different populations that that we're worried about here with our PETs and our older patients.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so RSV or respiratory sinctural virus, so say that five times really fast. So we'll we'll refer to it as RSV, is a very, very, very common respiratory infection. And it usually does mostly impact our younger patient population and our older patient population, although anybody can get it at any time really. And it most of the time is just one of the viruses that causes kind of common cold symptoms. Now, if you are very young or very old, it can take, you know, it can take space up in your lower lungs. And so really the majority of patients who get severe RSV infection in the younger population, like the pediatric patient population, they get what's called RSV bronchiolitis, where it infects your bronchioles and does result in hospitalization, some you know, problems with you know future comorbidities later in life and those kinds of things, and could even progress to RSV pneumonia. In older adults, that's typically what we're seeing, is more like it would cause a secondary bacterial pneumonia and again could be associated with more hospitalizations, more severe respiratory complications from it.
SPEAKER_01:So Right. And I mean, death is in the mix as well, right? I mean, it can it actually can lead to death, especially in the extreme vulnerable populations or those that are already immunocompromised for some reason. Um so and I so I think it's important to remember here that while we focus on RSV in those vulnerable populations, usually the younger and the older, it is really like it's out there and everyone is is is catching it, right? It's contagious for everyone, so it's not like we're immune to it. It's just our bodies are in a in a way to fight it off. Um we're more capable of fighting it off, right? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Two out of every three infants will get this before they turn like one year old. So it's like very common.
SPEAKER_01:It's very common. Yep. Yeah. And so and out of those two of three, I mean, you don't have to have specific data here, but like the majority of those get over it, or the so it's so it's really just this special population that is really affected by it in some form for whatever reason. Are we seeing like when do we see it become more of a problem in in those pediatric patients? Like do they have other things going on that make it more of a risk factor for them?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, definitely exposure earlier on. So, you know, those babies under like three months old tend to be the ones that would probably get it from, you know, somewhere in the environment, somebody that they've been around, and those tend to be the ones that just can't handle it as much and be treated as an outpatient. All the pediatricians that I work with, you know, it kind of follows this curve and there's like a peak day of you know, disease. And if they can get over that usually as an outpatient, they're usually fine, but they might get admitted sort of on that peak of symptoms, which is like already by like day four or five.
SPEAKER_01:Interesting.
SPEAKER_02:And they've been sort of kind of like, you know, circling the drain of needing some extra, you know, going to the pediatrician and that kind of thing. And then it usually tends to be when, you know, they are having complicated respiratory symptoms, like we, you know, additional wheezing, problems keeping their oxygen saturations up that would make them get admitted. And you know, the hard part is when they're admitted, it's very resource utilization heavy because there's really no treatment. They kind of just have to sit there. Usually they need supplemental oxygen, they are taking, you know, a hospital bed, and you know, they kind of just have to, we have to make sure that we are continuing to feed them and make sure that their is good and all that stuff. And then, you know, they might stay for four or five days.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah. So that's interesting to note. So that there's really no treatment per se, it's really supportive care, basically. Yeah. And so the other thing I would I would assume too, preemies are probably at a higher risk because just of developmental issues and things like that.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so and then I know that your specialty area is peeds, and but obviously we see this the same sort of, I guess what's the word I'm looking for? Same sort of storyline here in our elderly population, those that are more vulnerable, those that have other comorbidities, potentially other respiratory or breathing issues, because it would be harder for them to get over the common cold, as we would say. And so again, same sort of thing, no treatment. It's really just again supportive care. And, you know, we all know that the hospital is not a place where you want to be to really get better because you're usually going to catch something else, right? And so that is the problem. And that's why you're saying is that typically that's why it leads to pneumonia or something, is because they're they're catching another bacterial infection. So yeah. So I think one of the big things. Can I say one more thing?
SPEAKER_02:We do have yes, please. Yeah, we do have really good detection now because we do have respiratory viral panels which can detect for it pretty quickly. Um, so that's helpful because at least you would know what it is before we really, you know, we'd have to wait a little while. But usually we know, even if they come to the emergency room or something like that. So that's that's been helpful over the past several years. We've had that.
SPEAKER_01:But that's that a sip, is that like a like if they're having a respiratory issue that's like a a test or a panel you would run to see? Wow, that's really cool.
SPEAKER_02:In adults that are yeah, in anybody really.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. Okay, very interesting. Thank you. So, one thing that I think I really want to focus on for today's episode, and I feel like there's still a lot of confusion out there because rightfully so, there's different kinds of products on the market, is there are vaccines and there are monoclonal antibodies. And remind us what like what are the differences there? What what does that mean? Why are they two different categories? Obviously, they they're administered differently and they're for different reasons. But if you can just kind of shed some light on that, because I I think there's what we often just say is RSV prevention or RSV treatment, which are really the treatment one is not an appropriate term because we're not really treating it, right? So, yeah, so let's talk a little bit about the differences there, if you don't mind.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, for sure. And I want to give some historical perspective. We have had a RSV monoclonal antibody for many years. It was called palavisumab, and it was for a certain subset of patients, and those were those patients who are most likely to result in having severe RSV disease or hospitalization. So those premature infants, the ones with chronic lung disease on not home oxygen, congenital heart disease, severely immunocompromised. So, but it was only a subset of patients. You had to qualify for that. It was monthly shots throughout the RSV season. So that's been, you know, since um for like 20 over 20, 25 years or something like that. So we've always had that. I think the big new thing is the RSV vaccines that are out now. Right. And then on top of that, also new monoclonal antibodies that have really changed the you know CDC recommendations on birth doses of you know of vaccinations, which is like I haven't seen that in since I've been in practice. So that's really you know revolutionary that they're recommending something that can be given at birth to help protect against RSV. So let me start with the vaccines. Yes. There's a vaccine available for older adults, 60 and up, and that should be given once, and it will, you know, will protect against against RSV. It's really important, I think, as pharmacists to recognize that we have a lot of older adults who are interacting with you know their grandchildren, and they, you know, a lot of times are sometimes the primary caregivers for working parents and stuff like that. So again, that would those would be great points to to kind of bring about of why it would be important to get this, to get this vaccine.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:There is a separate vaccine, so they're under two different brand names and have two different, a little bit of different mechanisms. That is for pregnant women who are close to delivery during the RSV season. So about a month before the RSV season through, you know, the prior month of RSV season. So, like you mentioned, it's usually like in the fall months, so like October to March. So from September to February, pregnant women should get this a little bit closer to birth. Um so those are the two vaccines.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:So the vaccine for older adults is not the same vaccine for pregnant mothers.
SPEAKER_01:Correct. Yes. And I think something else that you said, and I want to highlight as well again, is the importance of noting that this is not an annual vaccine like flu, correct? It is it is currently a one and done sort of vaccine. Okay. And I think that's where a lot of the confusion is as well. You know, we have, let's face it, vaccine fatigue, you know, like every year you've got to get this one. And now we're saying you need to get a COVID. And now, you know, now we're here's another one. So it's I think it's really important to note that as we're talking with patients and as we're recommending this for certain populations, it's important to note that, first of all, have you already had one? Like, did you have it last year or whatever? Because it's a one-time vaccine currently. Um, I love your highlighted point on grandparents are are typically um at higher risk because they're involved a lot with younger children. And we all know that those younger children bring home a lot of things from daycare and school and all that good stuff. And so if our patients are in any sort of compromise position, they're gonna certainly be more apt to pick up that common cold and potentially not be able to overcome it. So I think that's a great talking point. That's a really key thing as we're, you know, looking and having those discussions with our patients in the pharmacy. You know, those are the ones that we should be targeting as at risk, I guess. And so again, just to reiterate what Kaylin mentioned, also that's important to note that the vaccine for pregnant mothers is different than the vaccines that are used in our older population. Um, and on that note, when we're talking about the pregnant vaccine, the pregnant woman vaccine, Kaylin, is that does that then mean that the baby does not have to receive anything after birth? Or is it is this passing in the placenta? Or are we okay, okay? Yes. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:I should say the older vaccine, the the vaccine for older adults, I think there's like a small subset of patients that could get a second dose.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:If they have certain factors, but but most of the time, most people would just get one and be done. Okay. Same thing. You would need to get pregnant mothers, would need to get this with every pregnancy because yes, it protects the baby during that first part of you know the RSV season. That's why we want to give it during like right before the RSV season starts and sort of like close to delivery.
SPEAKER_01:Right, right. Okay, that makes sense. Okay, so then let's go to the monoclonal antibodies. So these are gonna be in the pediatric population. And you mentioned how I remember back when I first graduated, I kind of moonlighted at a at-home pharmacy care uh place. And um back when I had so much energy because my days off, I would go work somewhere else. Like those were the days, right? But anyway, I remember the the monthly RSV, and I remember that that was something fairly new for me. I didn't feel like I learned a ton about it in school. And so I remembered RSV, but not like how often is it, you know, and the fact that it's every month and it's during the season and whatever. And I remember packaging and approving and verifying those doses to send out and whatever. So, yes, so I remember that that's been around for a while. So let's go back and talk about how that's different now. Let's let's look at what the new landscape is for monoclonals.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So there was one that was approved in 2023 called Nurse Civimab. And it's probably the one that's been used the most to date since 2023. It was in such high demand that the supply didn't even keep up with it. So last RSB, like the 2023-2024 season, not as many babies got it, but then they fixed the supply problems. And so from 2024, 2025 and moving forward, we know we have significant supply. But with the 2023 recommendations from the CDC, the annual recommendations, that's when they changed and added that to be given as a birth dose for anybody whose mother did not get the RSV vaccine within 14 days of delivering. So if you're if you were a pregnant mother and you decided not to get the vaccine, then we could give the baby the monoclonal antibody, which also is one than done unless you have some underlying risk factors, and then you might get a second one during your second RSV season.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Just this year, there's a new one called CLES Rovimab that has just been approved. It has not been added to the vaccine schedule, but the ACIP that just did meet did recommend it as an alternative to NERCIVIMAB. So you could use either one of those. And those are monoclonal antibodies that would help your body not let the RSV vaccine get down into the bronchials and you know get to your epithelial cells, and it would provide passive immunity for the RSV season.
SPEAKER_01:Got it. And so again, just reiterating the fact that you mentioned there was a subset of certain high at risk that would get another dose, but this is also a within birth of 14 days or so, and it's just that one time, like it's no longer monthly during the season, it's no longer like every year when this comes back up or whatever. Okay, okay. And what does it matter? So, in the sense that it matters when the mother is about to give birth, does it matter when the child is born? Like, are we only dosing for the monoclonal antibodies during the season? Like, so if you're born in June, are you are you recommended to get this? Or is it is it for everyone? Does that make sense?
SPEAKER_02:Yes. So it should be during the months of October to March. Now, knowing that the southern hemisphere, so Florida where I live, is a little bit different. Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii, you know, follow your local guidance because they may have some different seasons. So RSV season is actually already started here in Florida in September. So follow your local guidance if that, you know, if that has kind of a different and the ACEP guidelines are, you know, do provide that variability that like if you live in an area where it's a little bit different, follow those guidelines.
SPEAKER_01:Got it. Good to know.
SPEAKER_02:And but that being said, if you are born from April to September, there is a recommendation that you could get this one Sarah species and comes around.
SPEAKER_01:Got it. So it's it almost becomes then a clinical decision between parents and providers and so forth. Got it. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, it's recommended that it would still be available, but yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. Okay. Makes sense. Okay, so I think that's super helpful. I think it it reminds us that we can't really collectively attach a label to this as RSV prevention. I mean, I think because it's it's very different, right? And we're looking at different populations and different special populations and subsets and times of the year and all that kind of stuff. So I think it's really important to just kind of break that down and understand that when we're talking about, hey, let's let's prevent RSV, there's like multiple modalities, right? So we have to be sure we're talking about the same thing. So one thing you always like to do with the podcast, Kaylin, is really kind of talk about what are the opportunities for pharmacists. So now we know kind of this foundational information, we're all on the same page. So what can we do as pharmacists, regardless of our practice setting? I know that if it's if it's a Kaelin out there, you know, it's very different because you're in PEADs and you're used to being the NICU and that kind of thing. But if we're in the community or if we're in an AMCAR site or if we're at the VA or whatever, like what sort of things can we do in general as a pharmacist? So the first thing I'd like to talk about is identifying eligible patients, right? So I think that's that's key. So any any pointers or tidbits there or reminders.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I definitely think it would be easier in most settings because we do have a lot of pharmacists in ambulatory care settings where they're taking care of, you know, older patients and also in the community, you're going to be engaging with those patients a lot to educate that there is a new RSV vaccine. Ask if they've gotten it, ask if they've gotten information from their doctor. If you can, you know, order it and give it under protocols, then definitely we should be trying to do those initiatives. I know there are some pharmacies that can give it and do give it. Um, and then, you know, I think that the second space would be anybody who you are interacting with who is pregnant.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_02:It would be really important to also educate that they should talk to their caregivers about that.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_02:And ask about that. And, you know, we can always still be very, I think we need to be in the educational space, right? That these things are out there. Um well. And we do have a lot of pediatric. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah. No, go ahead, go ahead. I was gonna say we do actually have a lot of pharmacists who specialized in mostly specialized in neonatal care that have also kind of embraced women's health, which has been really great to see, you know, that growth. And we do have pharmacists who are specialized in women's health. So obviously I'm not talking to you guys that that would be specializing in women's health and who would who would be doing a lot more in that area. But you know, if you have an opportunity to work in an inpatient setting where you're working with pregnant patients, you know, for sure, discussing that. And then, you know, again on the on the flip side with the monoclonal antibodies, trying to make sure that we're getting, you know, doing birth doses is probably going to be, you know, inpatient and trying to really figure out the ways to do those from the pharmacy side is is kind of what we're navigating right now.
SPEAKER_01:Well, and also just, you know, as you mentioned, we are the medication experts. We should be in that space of educating and providing the right information to make an informed decision. And, you know, even if you are talking with a pregnant mother and you know, birth is around the corner and you've talked about that option, also discussing, you know, what are the options for monoclonal antibodies and you know, what does that look like? And especially if it's if the person's not going to give birth at the right time, then maybe it's something to say, hey, it's something to still consider if, especially if within the first few months, if it's pre me or if you understand or realize that they're having some other respiratory conditions or they've been hospitalized with asthma or something like that, you know, that might be another risk or a reason to kind of look at that. So I think it's really important, as you mentioned, to have those conversations with those patients because we think, we assume they're getting it somewhere else, but they may not be, you know, they may not be having this conversation somewhere else. So another thing that I think is important along the same guideline, along the same line is that we're educating not only our patients, but the other providers and other caregivers that we're collaborating with. So any tips or tricks there that you can share that you've I know sometimes it's difficult to tell other providers what to do or what should be done, but you're a seasoned professional here. So if there's any tips or tricks in that space, I think we'd all welcome those.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and you know, I think one of the things we learned from last year was we were getting these babies that were born and we did not have any information from you know the mother because the mother, you know, gave birth so imminently or something like that. And so there were, you know, we couldn't really give the birth to us because we didn't know if the mother got it or didn't get it. And sometimes if you work in a hospital where, you know, you might work in a children's hospital and the mother's in a totally different hospital. So there's a little bit of a time delay there. So ensuring, you know, especially babies that are born, you have to kind of understand what happened before they were born as well. And so so, you know, talking to providers about, you know, if you're talking, you know, about pediatric patients or neat natal patients, like, well, where's the birth records on the mother's, you know, exposure and all those kinds of things is something important. And I think, you know, they usually have really pretty good protocols, but making sure to add in like now we have to know if they got the RSV vaccine, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And then um I think the most confusing thing is the timeline. And I have we have the, you know, most places have would have the vaccine schedule sort of up and around and in a lot of parts of the hospital to make sure we know what we're giving and stuff like that. But I think knowing what the months is, and so there are some resources online that have a good timeline. Like it's April, here's what you would do. It's it's October, here's what you would do for the mother and for the baby. So yeah, yeah. So I think being because they'll turn to us and be like, wait, it's September. Are we doing it, not doing it?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So to be prepared and stay up to date on that. And and you know, maybe when you have some time to twiddle your thumbs, like we all do as pharmacists, go ahead and research and find those resources because I think that's great, you know, that's great information to kind of have, like you said. And again, people do often turn to the pharmacist for answers about anything to do with a medication. So it's it's important to kind of be prepared for that. So yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And I have fully made this mistake too, where I have said we need to make sure that the baby gets the RSB vaccine and they do not get the RSV vaccine, they get RSV medical antibody. But I think also discussing the differences between the RSV vaccine and medical antibody is something we need to make sure, just like language type things.
SPEAKER_01:For sure.
SPEAKER_02:No, it's not a vaccine. Sorry.
SPEAKER_01:You know, yeah, no, you're exactly.
SPEAKER_02:But it's in the vaccine schedule, so it's just comes off the top.
SPEAKER_01:So it makes sense that it would be. Yeah, I know, I know. Yep. And that's what I was saying earlier is I feel like there's just still a lot of confusion as to what are these and what should they be called, you know? And you're right. We I I find myself literally, I remember when I first uh did this topic, I labeled the initial file as RSV treatment. And then I I looked back at it later and I was like, that's not what this is. Like, we're not gonna be talking about treatment, that is no such thing, you know? So yes, I think it's really important to to verbiage and and and to make sure that we're all saying the same thing on the same page. So, and then, you know, we already talked about this, but it is going to peak, I guess, for the most part in the respiratory season. We already have flu and COVID and other things that are happening in that space, but it's just it's a great time to just go ahead and roll that into the whole discussion, talk about it. You know, I would just imagine too that if if the mother was not vaccinated, you know, they weren't talked to about it, didn't have the conversation or whatever, they're probably also gonna be confused and want more information when they're asked about it in the hospital of do you want to, you know, give this monoclonal antibody to your child? And so again, that that could be additional opportunities for us to educate and to provide some guidance and everything there. So yeah, so and then some challenges. Unfortunately, things don't always come with a rosy cherry on top, right? So some challenges that I think people are seeing in practice is again, it is confusing vaccine versus monocle antibody, which age groups for which one? The fact that there's a vaccine for pregnant women that that gets passed to the baby, but yet it's not vaccinating the baby, right? So it's just it's confusing and just making sure that you're up to date on everything and understanding the terminology. And then again, those administration windows, as we've said over and over, it's confusing. It's best just to get a good resource that you appreciate and like and follow it, you know. And then Kaylin, have you seen any sort of access issues or is there are there reimbursement issues, like insurance rejections for for these medications? Anything that you've heard of?
SPEAKER_02:I haven't, and we have given it so all children should be covered under the vaccines for children's where they get vaccines for no cost. But if you give it in the outpatient setting and you don't have a separate supply for vaccines for children's, which sometimes we wouldn't have set that up already for monoclonal antibodies. We have that set up for a lot of vaccines, but we may not we may not have that set up yet for the monoclonal antibodies. And somebody does have private insurance, we have been able to run it through and we haven't really seen too many problems. They may have a small copay that they might have to you know have to incur. But for the most part, I would say that it should be covered under the vaccines for children.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, that's great. So so really when we're talking with patients, we're not really trying to overcome any kind of access issues. It's we're really just educating and trying to make sure everybody understands what's at play and what's at risk. So yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think another challenge would be anticipating the supply, just like we do with the flu vaccine every year, right? So if you're not keeping the flu vaccine all year round, which we, you know, pharmacies can do that, but we may not keep this all year round. And so then when are you like turning on or off some of the things in the electronic medical record, like, hey, it's flu season, hey, it's RSP season, you know, are you educating the providers, you know, or or the patients about this? So so that would be some of the things too that you could set up probably in your electronic medical records to turn on or off alerts for clinicians to discuss at certain visits, you know.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and then in your prescription processing system, if you're in a community or AMCAR site or specialty pharmacy, you know, making sure that you're only discussing that in, like you said, in the height of the season, just like you would, you know, flu and COVID. So yeah. Okay, and then the last thing is again just to stay up to date on information, making sure that you're following along with ACIP guidelines and recommendations. And we all know that that has been a Little bit of a journey recently, and that's a whole nother discussion. But I think that that can be certainly a challenge is just to make sure that you're up to date on everything that's being recommended that's currently on the market, that's listed on the schedules and things like that.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah, the new, like I said, the new one isn't even on there yet. But when you go to that product's website, it says, you know, per the ACEP guidelines, this was just discussed. And we know that that there's certain time periods where they meet. And so, you know, I'm sure again, the schedule has already been set for this year. Then they might just put this or this one on there, you know. Um I didn't even know about it a couple of weeks ago. Somebody was like, oh, the new one just came out. And I was like, okay, well, now I gotta go find out about this and why is it different and how when are we gonna, you know, recommend it?
SPEAKER_01:Right. So right, yeah. Good to know. Well, that is great. That is all that I have to really cover, Caitlin. But the thing that I always like to do at the end is to wrap it back up with what's our game changer here. And I always pose that back to our guests. So, Kaylin, what's our game changer? What's our what's our big important take-home factor today?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think the fact that we have an RSV vaccine for older adults and we have this RSV monoclonal antibody that we're recommending at birth universally is the game changer and is gonna hopefully, you know, lead to less hospitalizations, less severe complications, and really, you know, help our patients, our special populations.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And I think, you know, part of the other game changer here is that pharmacists are key, especially to that older population, you know, because we're seeing them all the time, typically in in most settings. If you think of VA, community, AMCARE, even inpatient, like the majority of the patients that we see are going to be our older population, and they're usually going to be vulnerable in some sense if we're seeing them often. So I think it's key again to be up to date, understand the differences, understand uh what to recommend to what patient, and that there are differences. It's not just a vaccine across the board, it's monoclonal antibodies for pediatrics. There's a vaccine for pregnant patients that can pass to the child, and then there's a vaccine for older patients. So yeah, that's super helpful. And I hope that that clears up some confusion. I know it even helps me, even though I prepped for this and everything. You know, I I still feel like there was there's just a lot of confusion around what's the difference and why why do we call this one thing and that another thing. So yeah, very helpful. Well, Kaylin, thanks again. Super great to see you as always, and just really wonderful to have you as our guest today. So thank you for your time.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you. So thankful for this opportunity.
SPEAKER_00:I enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00:And that's it for this week. Be sure to log in to Healthmart University to claim your CE credit for this episode. As always, have a great week and keep learning. We'll talk to you next week.