RSV vaccination during pregnancy also protects newborns, studies suggest

Pregnant women receiving an respiratory virus vaccine from Pfizer Called RSV According to a study published Wednesday, they passed their protective antibodies to their newborns. New England Journal of Medicine..

In addition, Pfizer researchers found that these antibodies provide infants with a high level of protection against serious viral illness, according to an analysis conducted after some of the company’s clinical trials were completed. I found.

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, Usually causes mild cold-like symptoms in adults. However, in young children, it can cause serious illness. In the United States, an estimated 58,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized for RSV each year. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention..

Currently, there are no approved vaccines to prevent RSV infection in adults or children.

Synagis, a monoclonal antibody injection, is approved for use in the United States to prevent severe illness, but can only be used in certain high-risk infants, such as preterm births and low birth weight babies.

another Monoclonal antibody injection for newbornsManufactured by AstraZeneca, has recently been shown in clinical trials to be nearly 75% effective in preventing RSV-induced lower respiratory tract infections.

Both monoclonal antibodies and vaccines have antibodies in the body to fight the virus, but monoclonal antibodies are usually more expensive and difficult to administer than vaccines, and experts say they are given in hospitals rather than pharmacies.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said that many children who become seriously ill with RSV do not have an underlying illness and need a more widely available tool, such as a vaccine. increase. I am involved in research.

Pfizer’s vaccine aims to prevent RSV infection with a technique commonly used in vaccines for hepatitis and shingles. Clinical trials using a vaccine called RSVpreF have been conducted in the United States, Chile, Argentina and South Africa.

However, during the pandemic, the results from that region remain limited and incomplete due to diminished RSV circulation in the Southern Hemisphere.

The company’s interim analysis included only participants from the United States. High level RSV throughout the pandemic.. This included more than 400 healthy pregnant women aged 18-49 years who received either the vaccine or placebo.

Researchers have reportedly found that the vaccine produces antibodies in the blood of women, which are transferred across the placenta to babies.

Further analysis revealed that five infants in the placebo group developed RSV-related lower respiratory tract infections. Three of these cases were severe and two infants had to be hospitalized and given oxygen.

By comparison, three infants in the vaccine group also developed the infection, one of whom was severe but not hospitalized.

Researchers write that the findings suggest that the vaccine “may protect babies from RSV infection up to 6 months of age.”

Dr. Bill Muller, an infectious disease specialist at Anne & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, said the findings sound promising, but would like to see data on how long the protection will last. Over a year and a half.

“Many people are immune to RSV because it’s a very common virus, but its defenses don’t last that long,” said Muller, who wasn’t involved in the new study. I am.

Schaffner of Vanderbilt University Medical Center agreed that more data was needed, adding that antibodies passed from mother to baby during pregnancy could generally last 6 to 8 months. ..

It is not yet known if these vaccinated antibodies are “more persistent,” he said.

Women who participated in the study were given an electronic diary to help researchers monitor the potential side effects caused by the vaccine.

This story originally appeared NBCNews.com..

Related: