(Recasts to add details and comments on separate measles, mumps, rubella shots in paragraphs 1-10, 12-13) * Merck says there is no evidence of benefit to splitting shot * Vaccine experts say combined vaccine yields strong immune reaction * CDC backs vaccine panel recommendation for separate chickenpox shot below age 4 By Mariam Sunny, Julie Steenhuysen and Michael Erman Oct 6 (Reuters) – A top U.S. health official on Monday called for the combined measles-mumps-rubella shot to be broken up, drawing a quick rebuke from vaccine maker Merck, which said there is no scientific evidence that shows any benefit to doing so. The U.S. CDC earlier on Monday pulled broad support for COVID-19 shots, saying they should be administered through shared decision-making with a healthcare provider in accordance with recommendations from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s hand-picked vaccine advisory panel. The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jim O'Neill, in an X post on Monday called on vaccine manufacturers to develop three separate vaccines to replace the combined MMR inoculation. In a September 23 news conference at the White House, President Donald Trump delivered medical advice to pregnant women and parents of young children, repeatedly telling them common vaccines should not be taken together or so early in a child's life, and urging them not to use or administer Tylenol, against the advice of medical societies. Kennedy, a long-time anti-vaccine crusader before taking on the nation's top health post, has linked vaccines to autism and sought to rewrite the country's immunization policies. He fired all members of the national vaccine advisory board of outside experts and replaced them with new members, many of whom shared his views. The committee is reviewing the childhood vaccine schedule. The causes of autism are unclear. But no rigorous studies have found links between autism and vaccines or medications, or their components such as thimerosal or formaldehyde. Vaccination rates have declined as autism rates have climbed. MERCK, EXPERTS DEFEND MMR SHOT Merck said there is no published scientific evidence that shows any benefit in separating the MMR shot. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website, there are currently no separate single virus shots for measles, mumps or rubella licensed for use in the United States. That means manufacturers could need to go through the FDA approval process before any become available. "Use of the individual components of combination vaccines increases the number of injections for the individual and may result in delayed or missed immunizations," Merck said in a statement. Dr. Rana Alissa, president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the purpose of combining the three shots in the MMR vaccine is not only to save parents extra visits to the doctor's office. "Studies have shown that when you give them together, the immune response is much better," she said. "This is how you get lifelong immunity." GSK, which also makes an MMR shot, declined to comment. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where O'Neill is deputy secretary, was not immediately available for comment. The break-up of the MMR shot would "falsely imply that there is something unsafe about giving the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines at the same time," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "It would be another example of the federal government pandering to the anti-vaccine movement," Adalja added. Earlier in the day, the CDC signed off on the advisers' recommendations against use of the combined measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine before the age of 4 years because of a slight risk of seizures related to high fevers. Instead, varicella, commonly known as chickenpox, is recommended as a standalone shot. Merck also makes the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella shot. CDC CHANGES COVID VIEWS The new CDC recommendation on the COVID vaccine calls for physician involvement but maintains access for the shot through health insurance. The immunization schedules will be updated on the CDC website by Tuesday, the agency said. The recommendations come after upheaval at the CDC, including the ouster of its former Director Susan Monarez, who had resisted changes to vaccine policy advanced by Kennedy. Monarez said she was told to rubber-stamp the committee's recommendations without reviewing the scientific evidence. The new advisory panel made its recommendations at a two-day meeting in September that highlighted deep divisions over the future of the U.S. immunization schedules under Kennedy. The American Academy of Pediatrics, an influential U.S. medical group, has already broken from federal policy and pushed its own vaccine recommendations, suggesting all young children get vaccinated against COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August cleared updated COVID-19 vaccines for everyone over age 65, but limited its approval for younger people to those with health risks. The three approved COVID shots are made by Pfizer with German partner BioNTech, Moderna, and Novavax with Sanofi. (Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru, Michael Erman in New York and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot)
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