Vaccine against winter cough virus ‘can slash hospitalisations in kids by more than 80%’
- Experts suggest its rollout would ease winter pressure on the NHS
Research has shown that a vaccine against a common childhood virus can reduce the number of hospital admissions by more than 80 percent.
Trials of the antibody jab suggest it could save thousands of babies a visit to the emergency room every year with breathing difficulties caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Nirsevimab has already been given the green light by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and could be part of an RSV vaccination campaign from next winter.
Experts suggest its rollout would ease winter pressure on the NHS, with the virus responsible for around 33,000 hospital admissions in children under five every year.
Trials of the antibody jab suggest it could save thousands of babies a visit to the emergency room every year with breathing difficulties caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (stock)
The vaccine was given to 8,058 babies up to a year old in Britain, France and Germany who were in or about to start their first RSV season, which usually starts in October.
Hospital admissions with RSV-associated lower respiratory infections were 83 percent lower among those who received the jab, at 0.3 percent (11), compared with 1.5 percent (60) among those who were not vaccinated.
Very serious infections occurred in 0.1 percent (5) of the nirsevimab group, compared with 0.5 percent (19) of those given standard care, the latest studies showed.
The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, are likely to strengthen the case for being used in the rollout of RSV vaccines next year.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) recommended in the summer that a cost-effective RSV immunization program should be developed for both infants and older adults.
RSV is a seasonal illness like the flu, with most children having contracted the disease by the time they are two years old.
Usually mild and causing cold-like symptoms, RSV can lead to more serious lung problems such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
It is responsible for between 20 and 30 child deaths in Britain each year, and thousands more are hospitalized for breathing and feeding problems.
Nirsevimab, made by Sanofi and AstraZeneca, is among the options being considered in the program starting next winter.
It is believed that if approved, it will be given to babies at once as a single dose.
Professor Saul Faust, a co-study leader at the University of Southampton, said; 'These latest results show that this long-acting antibody is safe and could protect thousands of babies from hospital admission if used in conditions similar to routine clinical practice.
'It's really important information for Britain to help decide options for the future national RSV immunization programme.'
Side effects were mainly minor and similar in both groups.
Data from the trial has already been used to roll out the jab in the US and Spain this winter.
Dr. Simon Drysdale, co-research leader and consultant pediatrician at St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, said: 'RSV is a highly contagious infection and every year our wards are full of babies with breathing and feeding problems.
'The thousands of hospital admissions in winter are deeply worrying for families and are placing a huge winter burden on the NHS. This groundbreaking study demonstrates the potential NHS impact and safety of a monoclonal antibody injection.”