by Pregnant women can now protect their babies up to 6 months from bronchiolitis and other respiratory diseases by getting vaccinated, between 24 and 36 weeks of gestation, with the first serum for adults that has just been approved by the Ministry of Health against the Respiratory syncytial virus (VRS).
The bivalent vaccine Pfizer against protein F in prefusion (RSVpreF) is also indicated for those over 60 years oldbut for now the National Health System will only finance it for pregnant women, the company’s medical director, José Chaves, explained at the presentation of the drug.
While waiting for the guidelines that the Public Health Commissionwho must now decide to incorporate it into the lifelong vaccination schedule, Abrysvo, the commercial name of the vaccine, consists of a single dose that is injected into the muscle of the upper arm and is now available in pharmacies for a price of 234.95 euros with VAT.
“Complementary” and nirsevimab
Since October, newborns have been immunized with nirsevimaba monoclonal antibody – not a vaccine – that is causing hospitalization rates for RSV to plummet, which is the second cause of death in infants under 12 months of age in the world.
It is estimated that, in Spain, the Infections due to this virus cause between 7,000 and 14,000 hospitalizations annually, that is, 2% of the cases, without forgetting that the syncytial can lead to future sequelae, leading to symptoms similar to those of asthma in the first 5 years of life.
This vaccine, the first to arrive in Spain for adults and the only one that is indicated for pregnant women – the other one developed by GSK is only for older people – is a new tool with which they will receive passive protection through the placenta. your mothers.
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.” “. “.
A vital shield for babies
“Until a few years ago, vaccinating a pregnant woman was a taboo subjectBut thanks to scientific evidence, advances and the industry, we have seen the importance of getting vaccinated, first so that they protect themselves from various diseases, and then 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 are transferred to the fetus through the placenta. “It is an altruistic act that a woman does for the benefit of her child.“, to which it gives “a vital shield” against RSV in its first six months of life.
Since the protection of the infant against RSV depends on this transfer of antibodies, Abrysvo should be administered between weeks 24 and 36 of pregnancy; The important thing, the expert wanted to make clear, is that women of fertile age reach pregnancy with their complete vaccination schedule, even more so if they are women with some risk factor.
VRS is also something for adults
But VRS It is not exclusive to the little onesclarified Ángel Gil, professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid, but also impacts adults over 65 years of age, for whom there is underdiagnosis despite the fact that there is more in-hospital mortality among them. 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 wanted to insist that the vaccine will not prevent infection, but it will prevent hospitalizations and deaths, as occurs with others such as covid or flu.
It can be put with the complaint
According to your prospectus, Abrysvo can be placed in parallel with the vaccine of seasonal flu. 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 started two additional clinical trials to evaluate Abrysvo in children at increased risk for RSV disease, ranging in age from 2 years to 18 years.
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.
