Topline
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent vaccine advisers voted Friday to recommend a maternal vaccine that would protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV, amid a growing number of infant hospitalizations for the illness.
RSV is one of the leading causes of hospitalizations among infants in the U.S., according to the … [+]
Key Facts
The CDC advisers voted 11 to 1 to recommend the Pfizer-produced vaccine called Abrysvo for pregnant people in the 32- to 36-week period of gestation to protect against RSV—the leading cause of hospitalization among infants in the U.S.
Abrysvo is already approved for use in adults 60 and older.
Earlier this summer, the CDC approved Beyfortus, a monoclonal antibody treatment for RSV protection given directly to babies less than a year old; on Friday the CDC said either shot could be used to protect babies and that most infants would not need both.
What To Watch For
The CDC director, Mandy Cohen, needs to sign off before the vaccines can be administered.
Key Background
RSV kills hundreds of children under the age of five every year, in addition to 6,000-10,000 seniors, according to the CDC. Its cold-like symptoms leave vulnerable populations, like the elderly and the young, more prone to severe cases that can be fatal. On top of that, about 58,000 to 80,000 kids under the age of five are hospitalized each because of RSV, the CDC estimated. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizers’s shot bringing it one step to CDC approval. In Pfizer’s clinical trial of the drug, where some 7,400 people were given the vaccine as a single dose late in the second or third trimester, it was 82% effective against severe RSV disease in the first three months after birth. In the first six months after birth it was 69% effective, researchers found. In addition, Pfizers’ trial found the vaccine was 51% effective at preventing doctor’s visits for RSV-related illness within the first six months.
Big Number
16,000. That’s how many hospitalizations Pfizer said its maternal vaccine could prevent if the shot becomes available this fall.
Further Reading
FDA Approves First RSV Vaccine For Kids—Given To Pregnant Moms—Here’s What To Know (Forbes)