American College of Physicians issues new RSV vaccine guidelines for seniors and reports failure of metformin for long COVID

The American College of Physicians advises RSV vaccines for all adults over 75 and reports metformin failed to improve long COVID in a new clinical trial.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 3, 2026, 5:31 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from the American College of Physicians

New age-based RSV vaccination standards

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has updated its clinical guidance for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) prevention. The college now explicitly advises that all adults aged 75 or older receive a protein subunit RSV vaccine. For adults aged 60 to 74, the vaccine is recommended for those at increased risk of severe disease due to chronic conditions such as heart disease, kidney failure, or obesity. Currently, the RSV vaccine is administered as a single dose, with researchers still evaluating the potential need for future boosters.

Balancing benefits and harms of RSV prevention

The updated practice points are based on a rapid review of clinical evidence regarding vaccine efficacy and potential harms, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome. The ACP Center for Evidence Reviews concluded that for the 75-and-older demographic, the benefits—specifically a reduction in hospitalizations and all-cause mortality—clearly outweigh the risks. In the United States, RSV is responsible for approximately 14,000 deaths and 170,000 hospitalizations annually among older adults, often progressing from mild upper respiratory symptoms to life-threatening lower respiratory infections.

Breast MRI for high-risk screening

A new collaborative modeling study has found that adding biennial breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to standard 3D mammograms could avert significant breast cancer deaths in a specific population. The benefit is most pronounced for women with "extremely dense" breast tissue who also possess at least double the average risk for developing cancer. While the supplemental MRI provides a modest survival benefit, researchers cautioned that it also increases the rate of false-positive biopsy recommendations. The study suggests that supplemental MRI is a viable option if infrastructure costs and unnecessary diagnostic procedures can be minimized.