2023-08-22 12:09:00
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first vaccine to be given to pregnant women that protects newborns from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis and pneumonia. The vaccine, manufactured by Pfizer, is given to mothers in their late stages of pregnancy and provides protection to babies during the first six months of life. It is the latest weapon in the arsenal of vaccinations against this respiratory virus which is the leading cause of hospitalization in newborns and responsible for the deaths of thousands of elderly people each year.
A double-blind study of over 7,000 women worldwide has shown that Pfizer’s vaccine, called Abrysvo*, administered in the third trimester of pregnancy is effective in preventing serious illnesses that require medical treatment. The effectiveness in protecting newborns from serious disease during the three months following birth was 82%, while within six months it decreased to 69%. The study found no major safety issues. “This approval gives health care workers and pregnant women the ability to protect babies from this potentially life-threatening disease,” said Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biological Research and Evaluation.
It is unclear whether the vaccine will be available in time to protect babies born during the next seasonal RSV outbreak, which usually starts in autumn and peaks in winter. The vaccine must be recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before administrations are started. The CDC expert committee on vaccine recommendations is expected to meet in mid-September and on that occasion it could evaluate the anti-RSV vaccine.
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