There infant bronchiolitis is a viral infection that mainly affects children under 2 years of age. Far from being rare, it affects 3 out of 10 babies every year in France, with 480,000 annual cases recorded on average. At the beginning of November, the bronchiolitis epidemic affects all regions of the metropolis. An epidemic earlier, more brutal and more intense than in previous years, according to the French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics.
Generally not serious, bronchiolitis nevertheless causes the hospitalization of one out of three babies under 2 years of age and the disease is the second leading cause of infant mortality.
Pfizer’s Bronchiolitis Vaccine: Protecting Babies Through Moms
Good news: the Pfizer laboratory announced on Tuesday that its bronchiolitis vaccine trial had shown positive effects. This vaccine is given to pregnant women to then protect infants. The vaccine strategy relies on the natural transfer of antibodies from the pregnant woman to the fetus while it is in the womb. According to Pfizer, this vaccine showed up 82% effective in preventing serious cases in the first three months of a babyand about 69% within six monthsduring the phase 3 test, we learn in Figaro.
Based on these results, Pfizer plans to seek “authorization for vaccine in pregnant women by the end of the year in the United States then in other countries“.SIf the approval processes by the Food and drug administration (FDA) and by the American Centers for disease control are going smoothly, the vaccine could be available next year in the United States, a country which registers between 100 and 300 infant deaths from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) each year.
Bronchiolitis vaccine from Sanofi-AstraZeneca: given to babies
For its part, the French laboratory Sanofi (in collaboration with the AstraZeneca laboratory) is also developing a vaccine against bronchiolitis, intended for infants. This vaccine will probably not prevent infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but it should prevent the development of a severe form of the disease – thus seriously reducing the hospitalization of babies and the mortality linked to bronchiolitis.
The Sanofi-AstraZeneca vaccine has been tested on 2300 children. It is a monoclonal antibody (the nirsevimab) intended to be administered in a single injection. Its efficiency is estimated at 79.5%; moreover, both laboratories claim that it is well tolerated. The bronchiolitis vaccine will also not be available this winter. It has obtained an authorization issued by the European Medicines Agency. If MA applications follow their course, the first vaccinations could begin in the fall of 2023.