In this episode of Astonishing Healthcare, return guest Libbi Green, PharmD (Manager, Formulary Operations) joins Justin Venneri for a discussion about the 2025 flu season, including the latest vaccine-related updates that employer plan sponsors and plan members need to know. We discuss the effectiveness of last year's flu vaccines, factors influencing the rates, vaccination timing, and how there can be differences in state vs. federal guidelines, among other topics!

Highlights

• Larger employers may need to tailor flu programs across different states due to varying regulations.
• Federal agencies - ACIP and the CDC - are recommending the annual flu vaccine but are emphasizing single dose formulations that are free of preservatives.
• For people who regularly get or would like to get the flu vaccine, the timing is good now, before the end of October. For other vaccines - COVID, etc. - it's important to discuss timing and need with providers to reach a "shared decision."
• For plan sponsors, working with a PBM partner "to ensure patients have the access that they need and that you're meeting all regulatory compliance" is crucial.
• Judi®'s flexibility helps allow plan sponsors to react quickly and ensure vaccine-related claims are appropriately processed for their populations.

Related Content

• What employers need to know about federal vaccine policy changes (Mercer)
• AH072 - The Benefits You Probably Didn't Know You Have, with Marsha Perry
• AH071 - A Look at What's Really Driving Drug Spend, and How it Impacts Us, with IQVIA's Michael Kleinrock
• 12 New Judi® Features Innovating Pharmacy Benefit Administration

Reference Materials

• Interim Estimates of 2024–2025 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness — Four Vaccine Effectiveness Networks, United States, October 2024–February 2025
• RSV monoclonal antibody nirsevimab 83% effective in babies, data reveal
• BEYFORTUS® reduced hospital and doctor visits for RSV disease in babies by 87%, according to largest US real-world study

For more content and information about this episode, including the show notes and transcript, please visit Judi Health - Insights.