The first vaccine for infants against the so-called respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) could soon be on the market in the EU. The responsible committee of the drug authority EMA recommended on Friday the approval of the vaccine Abrysvo of the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Protection against the respiratory disease is built up by vaccinating the mother during pregnancy, the agency said. The approval of the EU Commission is considered a formality.
According to the EMA, RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization in children in Europe. The virus is a pathogen of acute diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract spread worldwide and one of the main causes of pneumonia in young children and the elderly. Particularly violent waves have been recorded in the past two years.
The committee also approved Abrysvo for active immunization of adults aged 60 and over. The EU had previously approved the drug Arexvy from the British pharmaceutical company GSK for older adults. The vaccination works like others of its kind: a person’s immune system reacts to the active substance and produces specific antibodies and T-cells that help to prevent RSV infection. In pregnant women, according to the EMA, the antibodies penetrate the placenta and give the child protection for up to six months after birth.
Abrysvo has recently been approved in the US for vaccination against RSV in older adults. A decision on the use of pregnant women is expected there by August. In Europe, RSV causes an estimated 250,000 hospitalizations and 17,000 hospital deaths in people aged 65 and over each year, according to the Paul Ehrlich Institute.