2023-08-22 16:21:46
In the United States, health authorities authorized on Monday a vaccine intended for pregnant women to protect their babies against bronchiolitis. This is a great first. The vaccine called Abrysvo, marketed by Pfizer, specifically targets the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can cause pneumonia and bronchiolitis in its most severe forms.
A vaccine approved step by step
It is authorized for pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation, according to the press release from the United States Medicines Agency (FDA). The single injection will be made into a muscle. The children of vaccinated women will thus be protected during their first six months of life, thanks to the antibodies transmitted by the mother.
This vaccine was approved last May in the United States for people aged 60 and over. It was also approved in July by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for babies and the elderly. The European Commission has yet to decide on its marketing authorisation. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will in turn have to recommend the vaccine before injections begin.
A dangerous and deadly virus
The highly contagious RSV is “a common cause of illness in children,” said FDA official Peter Marks, who welcomes this new option against a “potentially fatal” disease. “Infants are among those most at risk of developing serious illness, which can lead to hospitalizations. »
RSV outbreaks are seasonal. Last winter, American and European hospitals were taken by storm in the face of a very large epidemic. The United States records between 58,000 and 80,000 virus-related hospitalizations in children under 5 each year, and 100 to 300 deaths, according to the CDC. It is the leading cause of hospitalization of infants in the country.
Several laboratories on the spot
After decades of research, pharmaceutical companies are engaged in a race for this multi-billion dollar market. The British giant GSK obtained, in early May, the first worldwide authorization for a vaccine against bronchiolitis, granted by the FDA for seniors. Pfizer then quickly obtained a similar clearance. Moderna is also in the running.
The EU and the United States have also recently authorized a preventive treatment for bronchiolitis, jointly developed by AstraZeneca and Sanofi. Intended for infants, nirsevimab (or “Beyfortus”) is not strictly speaking a vaccine, but works preventively as well.
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