Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Awareness Month

RSV is a common but dangerous virus that can cause respiratory tract infection, especially in infants. For the majority who get the infection, it causes nothing more than a cold. But it can also be life-threatening. The chance of RSV becoming more severe is most common for babies born prematurely, children under age 2 born with heart or lung disease, infants with weakened immune systems and children 8-10 weeks old. Sadly, RSV hospitalizes several millions of people each year and tens of thousands die. The entire month October is awareness month for RSV and there is luckily also some good news!

Recently the EMA adopted a positive opinion for Beyfortus (nirsevimab) for the prevention of RSV lower respiratory tract disease in newborns and infants during their first RSV season. If approved, it would be the first and only single-dose passive immunization for the broad infant population.

There are also some vaccines in the pipeline. These vaccines work in a similar way as recently applied against the covid-virus. They act by presenting the immune system with key bits of a pathogen, which induce the production of antibodies and activate immune cells with a focus on the so-called preF protein. Although each vaccine works in a slightly different way each of these vaccines might have a place as elderly, pregnant women and very young infants may require different vaccine strategies.

Are you developing and/or registering (RSV) vaccines and need some support, feel free to contact us.