Pfizer has announced its investigational vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) It has been shown to be effective at preventing serious infections in infants after being given in a late-stage study to pregnant women in their second trimester of pregnancy, according to the websites Pfizer and Reuters.
Pfizer’s injection, if approved, could be the first maternal vaccine available to reduce the burden of disease in young children, and the company plans to submit it for approval by the end of 2022..
“Vaccination of mothers benefits from being able to protect a baby from day one, which is important as these babies hit peak hospital admissions for respiratory syncytial virus,” said Kenna Swanson, vice president of viral vaccines at Pfizer. rsv He’s about one or two months old.
The company said the vaccine fell short of the second major objective of the study, which is the prevention of less severe respiratory diseases Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline GSK extension Develop a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus rsvA leading cause of pneumonia in young children and the elderly, the vaccine is expected to generate billions of dollars in sales upon approval.
Estimated data, Respiratory syncytial virus rsv58,000 children under the age of five are admitted to US hospitals each year.
Pfizer’s vaccine candidate met one of the study’s two primary endpoints, showing 81.8 percent efficacy in preventing severe lower respiratory tract disease in infants in the first 90 days. a fan. , or placement in the intensive care unit, or loss of consciousness due to respiratory syncytial virus.
The missed endpoint was disease reduction in infants requiring care from a healthcare professional, according to Reuters, explaining that respiratory syncytial virus infection is on the rise among young children in the United States and there are currently no vaccines. against the virus. rsv Approved, in August, Pfizer declared its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. rsv It was effective among older adults in a late-stage study.
While she said Glaxo said GSK extension In October, the vaccine was 82.6% effective in a late-stage study involving older adults.
The potential approval of Pfizer’s vaccine for pregnant women and adults would make it “the only company with both a maternal and elderly indication,” Pfizer Inc.’s U.S. president Angela Luquin said at an October conference call.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Center for Disease Control and Prevention“, That Respiratory syncytial virus” rsv It is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover within a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially in infants and the elderly, as it is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways), lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs) in children under 1 year of age in the United States.
