CDC Panel: Babies Should Take a New Drug to Prevent RSV

Health experts suggested Thursday that infants be given a new medication to prevent them from developing a respiratory infection that sends tens of thousands of American youngsters to the hospital each year.

For the majority of healthy individuals, an RSV infection is a bother, similar to a cold, but it can be fatal for the very young and the elderly.

The new medicine, an antibody created in a lab that aids the immune system in fending off the virus, is anticipated to meet a major need as there are currently no immunizations available for infants.

The medication, created by AstraZeneca and Sanofi, is anticipated to be available in the autumn, just before the RSV season, which normally lasts from November to March.

Each year, RSV causes roughly 58,000 children under the age of five to be hospitalized, and several hundred of them pass away.

The one-time vaccine was advised by a group of outside advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for infants born soon before or during the RSV season and for those who are less than 8 months old when the season begins.

For some older infants, between the ages of 8 and 19 months, who are most at risk for developing a serious RSV infection, they also suggested a dose.

The panel’s recommendations were anticipated to receive the CDC director’s approval. It is anticipated that the medicine, which will be marketed under the trade name Beyfortus, will cost $495 per dose and be reimbursed by insurance.

The panelists admitted that getting the shot administered and paid for by insurance would be difficult at first.

In May, the Food and Drug Administration gave the go-ahead to two RSV vaccinations produced by GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer for older individuals.

The FDA is anticipated to decide in August whether to approve Pfizer’s vaccine for expectant mothers, which aims to safeguard their unborn children.

The expert panel endorsed putting the new medication in Vaccines for Children, a government initiative that offers free immunizations, despite the fact that it is not a vaccine.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is advising hospitals to have Beyfortus so that infants can receive medication before they leave the facility during the RSV season.