This week, the FDA approved a vaccine for RSV that will be given to pregnant people to protect infants for the first six months of their lives. The news comes a few months ahead of cold and flu season, when RSV is typically at its worst.
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Here's what we know so far
The vaccine, called Abrysvo, is a single-dose shot made by Pfizer that stimulates the body to produce protective antibodies that go from mother to fetus through the placenta.
Abrysvo has been approved for pregnant people between 32 and 36 weeks gestation. This past May, the same shot was approved for people over the age of 60, and it is being administered at certain Walgreen's locations.
Abrysvo is not yet publicly available for pregnant people
An advisory committee from the CDC still has to meet and discuss the shot and who should receive it. After that meeting, CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen will decide if she'll officially recommend the vaccine.
According to Pfizer, the CDC advisory committee will likely meet in early October. The company plans to make the vaccine available to the public shortly after it's recommendation.
Yes, this vaccine has been tested
There was a clinical trial for Abrysvo that included approximately 7,400 participants. The most common side effects reported included fatigue, headache, injection at the site pain, muscle pain, nausea, joint pain, and diarrhea.
The drug was found to lower the risk of severe RSV in infants by 82% within about three months after birth. By around six months, it is still 69% effective.
"If brought into broad use, there will be children who otherwise would have been hospitalized, otherwise would have ended up on ventilators this winter, that won’t," Dr. Bill Gruber, senior vice president of clinical research and development for Pfizer, told NBC News.
