The vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes, among others, bronchiliotis and “carpet” for other respiratory viruses, is now a reality. And it is available for pregnant women and those over 60. At the moment, it is funded for women, but not for the elderly, who can purchase it with a prescription for 234.95 euros (a single dose), although it is expected that not too late, it will also be financed because this virus is one of those that causes the most hospitalizations and deaths in the most vulnerable, as explained by the Pfizer medical director, José Chaves.
Pfizer’s bivalent vaccine against protein F in prefusion (RSVpreF) is indicated for pregnant women between 24 and 36 weeks and with its inoculation not only they are protected but also the baby up to 6 months, just until the virus has greater incidence in these children. It is marketed under the name Abrysvo and is injected into the muscle of the upper arm.
This vaccine is complementary to the immunization that, since October, has been carried out on newborns with nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody (not a vaccine) that has plummeted the rates of hospitalizations due to RSV, which is the second cause of death in infants under the age of 10. 12 months in the world.
According to María María Garcés, pediatrician at the Nazaret health center (Valencia) and member of the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Vaccinology (CAV-AEP), there should be “no interference” between both drugs, which “may even be complementary.” “.
It is estimated that in Spain, infections due to this virus cause between 7,000 and 14,000 hospitalizations annually, that is, 2% of the cases, without forgetting that syncytial can lead to future consequences, leading to symptoms similar to those of asthma in the 6 first years of life.
“Until a few years ago, vaccinating a pregnant woman was a taboo subject, but thanks to scientific evidence, advances and the industry, the importance of getting vaccinated has been seen, first so that they protect themselves from various diseases, and then to the fetus,” said Inmaculada Cuesta, nurse, midwife and secretary of the National Association of Nursing and Vaccines (Anenvac).
When a woman is vaccinated, she generates antibodies that she transfers to the fetus through the placenta. “It is an altruistic act that the woman does for the benefit of her child,” to whom she gives “a vital shield” against RSV in the first six months of her life.
But RSV is not exclusive to children, says Ángel Gil, professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid, but it also impacts adults over 65 years of age, for whom there is an underdiagnosis. despite the fact that in them there is more in-hospital mortality related to cases of this virus -8%- than with the flu.
90% of the population of this age has an associated chronic disease, which becomes two at 75 and at least 3 when they turn 80, so their protection against any respiratory disease “is essential.”
Gil remembers that the vaccine will not prevent infection (nor does the flu vaccine), but it will prevent hospitalizations and deaths.
According to its package insert, Abrysvo can be given in parallel with the seasonal flu vaccine. Like any medication, it has adverse effects, the most common in pregnant women being pain in the area of ??the puncture, headache, muscle pain, and nausea.
While in the elderly, the most frequent were fatigue, headache, pain in the injection area and myalgia.
With these two indications already approved, the pharmaceutical company has initiated two additional clinical trials to evaluate Abrysvo in children at increased risk of contracting RSV disease, ranging in age from 2 years to 18.
The second trial is evaluating adults ages 18 to 60, who are at increased risk for RSV due to underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), as well as adults ages 18 and older who are immunosuppressed and, therefore, are at greater risk of contracting RSV, concluded José Chaves, medical director of Pfizer.
