Nirsevimab Effective Against RSV-Linked Bronchiolitis Hospitalization

WEDNESDAY, July 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Nirsevimab therapy is effective for reducing the risk for hospitalization for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated bronchiolitis among infants, according to a study published in the July 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Zein Assad, M.D., from the Robert Debré University Hospital in Paris, and colleagues conducted a prospective, multicenter, matched case-control study to analyze the effectiveness of nirsevimab therapy against hospitalization for RSV-associated bronchiolitis in infants. Case patients were infants younger than 12 months of age who were hospitalized for RSV-associated bronchiolitis. Control patients were infants with clinical visits for conditions unrelated to RSV infection. The study included 1,035 infants: 690 case patients and 345 controls matched on the basis of age, date of hospital visit, and study center.

Overall, 60 and 97 case and control patients, respectively, had received nirsevimab previously. The researchers found that the estimated adjusted effectiveness of nirsevimab therapy was 83.0 percent against hospitalization for RSV-associated bronchiolitis. Similar results were seen in a sensitivity analysis as those in the primary analysis. The effectiveness of nirsevimab therapy was 69.6 and 67.2 percent against RSV-associated bronchiolitis resulting in critical care and against RSV-associated bronchiolitis resulting in ventilatory support, respectively.

"Nirsevimab prophylaxis was effective against RSV-associated bronchiolitis leading to hospitalization among infants younger than 12 months of age, including those with severe cases that led to pediatric intensive care unit admission and ventilatory support," the authors write.

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