In a few weeks a preventive treatment for bronchiolitis in newborns will be available. It will be possible to obtain Beyfortus, developed by the Sanofi and AstraZeneca laboratories, “from mid-September” in health establishments and, upon request, in pharmacies, the Ministry of Health indicated in a document sent to health professionals.
This monoclonal antibody (nirsevimab) is one of the options against respiratory syncytial virus, the main cause of bronchiolitis, in infants during their first season of exposure to RSV.
“Available from mid-September in health establishments and on request in community pharmacies, nirsevimab may be prescribed to all children born on or after February 6, 2023 in mainland France”, specified in the document (DGS Urgent) of the Ministry. For Overseas, the “specificities (…) are under investigation”.
Around 480,000 cases each year
The single injection, into the muscle, can be done in some cases at birth. For babies born after September 15, it is recommended “to vaccinate them before leaving the maternity ward,” the ministry told caregivers.
The antibody can also be administered in the city, in general medicine, in pediatrics or in health centers. In this case, “a prescription from the doctor following the child” will be necessary, according to the document. “Parents will then go to the community pharmacy to order and then pick up the medications that the State will make available, without billing families.”
In France, it is estimated that bronchiolitis affects almost 30% of children under two years of age each winter, that is, approximately 480,000 cases per year. And between 2 and 3% of babies under one year old are hospitalized with severe bronchiolitis.
“A Partial Response to Medical Necessity”
The bronchiolitis epidemic in France last winter reached a level unprecedented for more than ten years: it required more than 26,000 hospitalizations after a visit to the emergency room by children under two years of age, according to figures from the emergency services.
In addition to an information campaign on bronchiolitis aimed at parents, the implementation of a preventive treatment against bronchiolitis will constitute “one of the great challenges of the new school year”, declared the Minister of Health, Aurélien Rousseau, at the beginning of August, the day after the green light from the High Health Authority for reimbursement.
Beyfortus offers “a partial response to medical necessity” because there are no data yet to “support a possible impact” on length of hospitalization, transfer to intensive care or intensive care, and mortality, according to the HAS.
Source: BFM TV
