A new study analyzed the effectiveness of nirsevimab a monoclonal antibody against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in young children, and showed that the medicine was 93% effective against hospitalization associated with the infection. The findings were published this Monday (9) in the scientific journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Nirsevimab is a specific antibody against RSV, the main virus that causes respiratory infections in newborns and young children, especially babies. It is one of the main viruses associated with bronchiolitis, a disease characterized by inflammation of the bronchioles.
The objective of the study was to understand whether new medications to prevent RSV reduced hospitalization rates for the infection in children under five years of age, between 2023 and 2024. To do this, the researchers compared epidemiological data and the burden of acute respiratory diseases associated with the virus during the season the last two years compared to three pre-pandemic seasons (2017-2020).
The work was conducted at seven academic pediatric medical centers in the United States with data from RSV seasons (September 1 to April 30) in 2017 to 2024. In total, the study analyzed 28,689 children under age 5 with acute respiratory infections, with 9,536 served between September 2023 and April 2024 and 19,153 in equivalent periods of 2017 to 2020. The majority were male (57%), with a median age of 15 months.
According to the study, the nirvesimab was 89% effective against RSV-associated acute respiratory illnesses in babies seen by doctors, and 93% effective against hospitalizations for the disease . This shows that the medicine is highly effective in preventing respiratory diseases and hospitalizations caused by the virus, especially among infants.
However, the study warns that only a small fraction of babies in their first RSV season received nirsevimab or were born to mothers who received the antibody during pregnancy.
“Maternal uptake of the RSV vaccine and Nirsevimab was low, but nirsevimab was effective against RSV-associated hospitalization. There is potential for substantial public health impact with increased and equitable prevention product coverage in future seasons,” the authors state in the study.
Who is the new vaccine recommended for and when does it arrive in Brazil?
Nirsevimab is indicated for all infants up to 12 months of age, as pointed out by the Brazilian Society of Immunology (SBIm). It should be administered one month before or during the first period of increased RSV circulation after the birth of the baby.
In the second seasonality, it is recommended for children who are part of risk groups: children with chronic lung disease of prematurity and need for medical support, severe immunocompromise, cystic fibrosis and uncorrected congenital heart disease with hemodynamic repercussions.
According to the Ministry of Health, the seasonality of RSV varies depending on the region:
- North Region : February to June;
- Other regions : March to July.
According to SBIm, the vaccine is expected to arrive in Brazil by the end of 2024. The medicine was approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in October last year, with the registration of the company Sanofi Medley Farmacêutica.
Understand how the vaccine that protects babies against bronchiolitis works
This content was originally published in Syncytial virus: antibody is 93% effective against hospitalization of young children on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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