First syncytial virus vaccine approved for pregnant women and people over 60

pregnant now I can protect your babies up to 6 months against bronchiolitis and other respiratory diseases through vaccination, between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancywith the first serum for adults, which has just been approved by the Ministry of Health against Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Pfizer’s bivalent anti-prefusion protein F (RSVpreF) vaccine is also indicated for people over 60 years of age, but at this time National health system it will be financed only for pregnant women, the company’s medical director explained at the presentation of the drug, Jose Chavez.

Pending guidelines yet to be set by the Public Health Commission, which must now decide whether to include it in the lifelong vaccination schedule, Abrysvo, the commercial name of the vaccine, consists of a single dose that is injected into the upper arm muscle. now available in pharmacies price 234.95 euros including VAT.

Respiratory syncytial virus vaccine “complementary” to nirsevimab

Since October, newborns have been immunized with nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody rather than a vaccine, dramatically reducing hospitalization rates due to RSV, which is the second cause of death in infants under 12 months of age worldwide.

Supposedly in Spain Infections caused by this virus cause between 7,000 and 14,000 hospitalizations annually.that is, in 2% of cases, not forgetting that syncytial can lead to future consequences leading to symptoms similar to those of asthma in the first 5 years of life.

This vaccine, the first to arrive in Spain for adults and the only one indicated for pregnant women (the second vaccine developed by GSK is intended only for older people), is a new tool with which they will receive passive protection through the placenta. mother.

According to Maria Garcés, pediatrician at the Nazareth Medical Center (Valencia) and member of the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (CAV-AEP), there is “no interaction” between both drugs, which even “They can complement each other.”

Respiratory syncytial virus vaccine: a vital shield for babies

“Until a few years ago, vaccinating a pregnant woman was a taboo topic, but thanks to scientific data, advances and industry, the importance of vaccination has become clear, first to protect yourself from various diseases, and then the fetus. ” said Inmaculada Cuesta, nurse, midwife and secretary National Association of Nurses and Vaccines (Anenvac).

When a woman is vaccinated, she produces antibodies, which she passes to the fetus through the placenta. “This is an altruistic act that a woman performs for the benefit of her child,”

to which it provides a “vital shield” against RSV in the first six months of life.

Because a child’s protection from RSV depends on this transfer of antibodies, Abrysvo should be prescribed between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.; What is important, the expert wanted to make clear, is that women of fertile age achieve pregnancy by following a full vaccination schedule, especially if they are women with any risk factor.

VRS is also something for adults

But VRS is not just for children, he clarified. Angel Gil, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health King Juan Carlos University of Madrid, but it also affects adults aged 65 years and older, who are underdiagnosed despite having a higher in-hospital mortality rate associated with cases of this virus -8%- than with influenza.

90% of the population of this age has an underlying chronic disease, which becomes two at age 75 and at least three by age 80, so protecting them from any respiratory disease is “essential.”

Gil insisted that the vaccine will not prevent infection, but it will prevent hospitalizations and deaths, as happens with other diseases such as Covid or the flu.

It may be caused by the flu

According to the package insert, Abrysvo can be administered in parallel with the seasonal flu vaccine. Like all medicines, it has Side effects,

most common in pregnant women pain in the puncture area, headache, muscle pain and nausea.

While the most common symptoms among older adults were fatigue, headache at the injection site and myalgia.

With these two indications already approved, the pharmaceutical company initiated two additional clinical studies to evaluate Abrysvo in children at increased risk of RSV infection between the ages of 2 and 18 years.

The second study evaluates adults ages 18 to 60 who are at higher risk of RSV due to underlying health conditions such as asthma, diabetes and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)and adults over 18 years of age who are immunocompromised and therefore at greater risk of contracting RSV, concluded Jose Chavez, Pfizer’s medical director.