Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008 - (Page CB4)

FIGURE 2 U.S. regional RSV trends, July 2000 through July 2006 50 Positive RSV tests (%) 40 30 20 10 0 7/1/2000 8/26/2000 10/21/2000 12/16/2000 2/10/2001 4/7/2001 6/2/2001 7/28/2001 9/22/2001 11/17/2001 1/12/2002 3/9/2002 5/4/2002 6/29/2002 8/24/2002 10/19/2002 12/14/2002 2/8/2003 4/5/2003 5/31/2003 7/26/2003 9/20/2003 11/15/2003 1/10/2004 3/6/2004 5/1/2004 6/26/2004 8/21/2004 10/16/2004 12/11/2004 2/5/2005 4/2/2005 5/28/2005 7/23/2005 9/17/2005 11/12/2005 1/7/2006 3/4/2006 4/29/2006 6/24/2006 South North West Midwest SOURCE: PANOZZO CA. PEDIATR INFECT DIS J. 2007. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION. 2008); and 2) the expansion of participating laboratories to more than 700 has significantly increased the data available for reporting and analysis of RSV epidemiology. Noting that RSV activity can vary among local communities as well as regions, CDC recommends that physicians consult their local laboratories for the latest data (CDC 2008). Defining the RSV season NREVSS defines the national and regional RSV season onset as the first of 2 consecutive weeks during which the median percentage of specimens testing positive for RSV antigen is >10 percent; RSV season offset is defined as the last of 2 consecutive weeks during which the median percentage of positive specimens is >10 percent (CDC 2007). The limited variation in national RSV epidemiology data disguises greater variation in regional trends (Tables 1, 2), which in turn disguises variation in local trends (Figure 2). At the national level, analysis of CDC data for July 1990 through June 2000 shows moderate variation from year to year (Mullins 2003). In Florida, however, RSV variations differ so much from trends in the rest of the South region that CDC reports that state separately (CDC 2006). Florida resembles other tropical locales in the northern hemisphere (CDC 2006), with RSV circulation occurring virtually year round and with regional variations. In a 54month (1999 through 2003 RSV seasons) statewide study by Bauman (2007), there were only 4 months during which the percentage of positive laboratory tests failed to reach the 10 percent epidemic threshold (May twice and June twice). In southeast Florida, this trend was confirmed by another study (Light 2007) using 48-month data (January 2003 through December 2006) from three emergency departments. Throughout calendar years 2003 and 2006, the percentage of positive RSV tests was ≥10 percent, and during all 48 months studied, it was 10% RSV activity for any 2 consecutive weeks during September and October 2004–2007 2004–2005 16 2005–2006 19 2006–2007 30 SOURCE: MEDIMMUNE DATA ON FILE 4

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008

Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008 Openers Contents Editorial/David B. Nash, MD, MBA Drug Track Health Plan Confidential Rheumatoid Arthritis A Decade of Trial, Error, False Starts, and Hope What Path Will Comparative Effectiveness Research Take? RA Therapies in Development: A New Generation of Relief Assessing the Full Impact of RA on Employers and Payers Stem Cells: Health Insurance You Can Bank On Specialty Pharmacy Employer to Employer Personalized Medicine Trends Clinical Briefs

Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008

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