CNBC – The first shot that protects all infants against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, won the backing of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.
RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization among infants in the U.S. The shot, branded under the name Beyfortus, provides families with a simple option to protect their babies during the respiratory virus season.
CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen accepted the advisors’ recommendation Thursday evening. She called on families to take advantage of the new drug.
“As we head into respiratory virus season this fall, it’s important to use these new tools available to help prevent severe RSV illness,” Cohen said.
“I encourage parents of infants to talk to their pediatricians about this new immunization and the importance of preventing severe RSV,” she said.
The CDC said Beyfortus should be available this fall. AstraZeneca and Sanofi are prepared to roll the shot out before RSV season and do not foresee any challenges meeting demand, a Sanofi spokesperson said.
Dr. Sarah Long, a CDC panel member, described Beyfortus as a milestone.
“This is the very first antibody protection against a remarkably remaining burden of disease in children,” said Long, a professor of pediatrics at Drexel University.
“Parents should be very, very much relieved that they won’t have to be concerned about the likelihood that their child could be hospitalized with RSV disease,” she said.
Though Long described the shot as a breakthrough, she said the CDC panel is “extremely disappointed” by the price set by Sanofi and AstraZeneca.
It could potentially take months for some insurance plans to update their policies to comply with the requirement.
Beyfortus works like a vaccine, but the shot is considered a drug, not a vaccine …
