Sanofi announced on Friday that it has received the green light from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for nirsevimab, a treatment aimed at preventing bronchiolitis in infants.
Nirsevimab, which will be marketed by Sanofi under the name Beyfortus, was developed and manufactured by AstraZeneca, according to an agreement concluded in 2017 between the two pharmaceutical groups. It is, very precisely, an antibody intended to protect children throughout the circulation season of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that causes bronchiolitis.
The CHMP issued a favorable opinion and recommended the approval of Beyfortus for the prevention of lower respiratory tract infections caused by RSV in newborns and infants, during the first circulation season of the virus they face.
“Protect all children with one dose”
“We are well on our way to achieving our goal of protecting all children from RSV infection with a single dose,” commented Jean-François Toussaint, head of vaccine research and development at Sanofi. .
However, this new treatment will not be available until winter 2023-2024, Beyfortus must now be approved by the European Commission, a procedure that will take several months.
Note that a bronchiolitis vaccine already existed, but it could only be given to premature or very high-risk babies.
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