Nirsevimab highly effective at preventing RSV hospitalization in infants, report shows

March 07, 2024

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Key takeaways:

• The findings support CDC’s current recommendations for administration of nirsevimab.
• Nirsevimab is currently recommended for neonates and infants.

The monoclonal antibody nirsevimab is 90% effective at preventing respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization in infants, according to research published in MMWR.

RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization for babies in the United States, and last August, the CDC recommended nirsevimab (Beyfortus, AstraZeneca and Sanofi), a monoclonal antibody developed to prevent RSV as an intramuscular injection of 50 mg for infants with a body weight less than 5 kg and 100 mg for infants with a body weight of 5 kg or more. Currently, the AAP recommends that all infants receive nirsevimab to protect against severe RSV.

The monoclonal antibody nirsevimab is 90% effective at preventing respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization in infants, according to research published in MMWR. Image: Adobe Stock

Researchers affiliated with the New Vaccine Surveillance Network evaluated the effectiveness of nirsevimab in a sample of 699 infants — 407 case patients and 292 controls. The authors noted that a greater proportion of infants with high-risk medical conditions received nirsevimab (46%) compared with those without those conditions (6%).

According to the researchers, the infants’ respiratory specimens were tested for RSV and other common respiratory viruses by PCR.

Early surveillance data show that nirsevimab was 90% effective against RSV-associated hospitalization, with a median of 45 days from receipt of the drug to acute respiratory illness symptom onset. The authors noted that the findings support the CDC’s current recommendations for nirsevimab for babies aged younger than 8 months to protect them against RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection during their first RSV season and for children aged 8 to 19 months who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease.

“To reduce the risk of RSV-associated hospitalization, all infants should be protected by maternal RSV vaccination or infant receipt of nirsevimab,” the authors wrote. “The 2023-2024 RSV season is nearing an end. Talk to new or expecting parents about RSV and plan for protection next season.”

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