FDA approves first maternal vaccine aimed at preventing RSV in infants

The FDA has approved the first vaccine for use in pregnant individuals to prevent lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) and severe LRTD as a result of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants, from birth through 6 months of age, the federal agency stated in a press release on August 21, 2023. Approved for use at 32 weeks through 36 weeks’ gestation, Pfizer’s maternal respiratory syncytial vaccine (Abrysvo) is delivered through a single dose injection to the muscle. “I think [this approval] is fabulous, it really is,” said Tina Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, professor of pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, pediatric infectious disease attending, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, in an interview with Contemporary Pediatrics. “We know that RSV is the leading cause of LRTD in infants, and we know that the peak of disease is usually within the first 3 months of life. Having this...