CDC panel recommends drug that prevents RSV for babies

The expert advisory board dealing with immunizations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted unanimously Thursday to recommend a new treatment for preventing RSV in infants and toddlers.

The voting members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) unanimously voted yes to recommending that the RSV monoclonal antibody treatment nirsevimab be administered to infants younger than 8 months in their first RSV season, as well as children aged between 8 and 19 months who are at a higher risk of developing severe RSV cases and are entering their second season.

Nirsevimab, also named Beyfortus commercially, is co-developed by Sanofi and AstraZeneca.

“Today, we have turned the corner on the threat of RSV to our youngest, most vulnerable population,” Sanofi Executive Vice President Thomas Triomphe said in a statement. “The ACIP’s unanimous recommendations for routine use of Beyfortus and inclusion in the Vaccines for Children program are critical steps toward providing millions of parents in the U.S. with the ability to protect their babies through their first RSV season, when they are most susceptible to severe RSV disease.”

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