“Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine Receives FDA Panel Recommendation for Expecting Mothers”

An RSV vaccine for pregnant women would protect newborns from the respiratory virus, so a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel on Thursday recommended Pfizer’s RSV vaccine.

RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization of babies in the US, according to epidemiologists. Almost all children contract RSV when they are 2 years old, and in most cases, the virus causes a mild, cold-like illness. But babies face a higher risk of serious illness.

If the vaccine works, “many babies and their parents will breathe better for years to come,” said Dr. Jay Portnoy, a member of the FDA’s advisory panel.

Pfizer’s vaccine that protects babies from respiratory diseases could receive FDA approval later this summer.

The single-dose vaccine is given to mothers-to-be in the second or third trimester of their pregnancy, between 24 and 36 weeks’ gestation.

The antibodies activated by the injection are passed to the fetus and protect babies against RSV from birth until the first six months of life, when they are most vulnerable.

The vaccine was 82% effective in preventing severe RSV disease in newborns during the first 90 days of life, according to data from the Pfizer clinical trial. The injection was about 70% effective during the first six months of the baby’s life.

There is currently no vaccine to protect against RSV. Babies younger than 6 months are also too young to receive most vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.