Abrysvo or Beyfortus: 2 Questions and Several Facts You Should Know
Should you pregnant patient get the new RSV vaccine at the appropriate time during gestation or wait and have the baby receive Beyfortus after birth?
Terry Brenneman, MD
Approximately two-thirds of infants will be infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) within the first 12 months of life; 2% to 3% require hospitalization with the peak age of risk at 1 age 1 month. More than three-quarters of hospitalized infants are healthy with no underlying risks such as prematurity or lung disease. Fortunately, thanks to good supportive care only 100-300 children die every year. (In contrast, about 6-10 thousand adults over 65 die yearly from RSV infection.)
Two new products to prevent pediatric RSV infection were approved in 2023 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One is a vaccine, Abrysvo, given to mothers between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation between the months of September to January for most of the geographic US.
