A single jab that protects babies against a common and potentially dangerous winter bug has been developed. Parents with newborns could soon be offered it to stave off RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) the entire season - when cases peak.
It can cause serious and sometimes deadly infections in infants less than a year old. There is currently no option available. The single antibody shot stops chest infections, such as pneumonia. They are one of the main reasons children under five end up in hospital.
A trial involving 3,000 participants found the antibody, called nirsevimab, is safe. It lowered the risk of babies needing medical attention for severe symptoms by 79 per cent It also reduced hospitalisations by 77 per cent over the next five months, reports New Scientist.
Dr Tonya Villafana at AstraZeneca, who led its development, said: "This is very special, because there's been a search for a vaccine or something to prevent RSV disease in healthy infants. They can get very sick."
In older children and adults, the virus typically causes no more than cold symptoms. But in the very young and very old, infections can be much more serious. Around 100,000 children die from RSV every year worldwide. In high-income countries, deaths are rare. But many babies require medical care.
Nirsevimab has already been approved for all babies in the UK on the basis of initial results from the first 1,500 babies. Other countries, such as the US, have been waiting for the full trial results, says Dr Villafana. But cost will be a major issue in determining how widely nirsevimab is used globally.
Antibody treatments tend to be extremely expensive because they are difficult to manufacture In England, nirsevimab would have to be priced about £60 per dose or less to be cost-effective.
Subscribe here for the latest news where you live
Professor Katherine Atkins at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: "We are calculating the highest price per dose that England should be willing to purchase nirsevimab for."
Every year, about 29,000 babies in the UK need hospital care for RSV. Most have no other health issues beforehand. Many infants now have little natural protection from the usual winter viruses. They were born during the pandemic when lockdowns and restrictions helped suppress their spread - and that is concerning health officials.
