FDA approves RSV vaccine for pregnant mothers to protect babies
The FDA-approved vaccine is administered to pregnant mothers to protect their babies from RSV for their first six months. It's the first RSV shot of its kind.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a vaccine that is administered to pregnant people to protect their babies from RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, through their first six months.
The single-dose shot, made by Pfizer, spurs the production of protective antibodies that transfer from mother to infant through the placenta. It’s the first vaccine that can protect babies from RSV, which causes a lower respiratory illness that can be severe in infants.
However, last month the FDA also approved an injectable RSV drug for infants that delivers a dose of antibodies directly to the bloodstream.
Before Pfizer’s shot can be distributed to the public, an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must still recommend who should receive it. After that, it's up to CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen to officially recommend the vaccine.
Pfizer said that the CDC advisory committee will most likely meet by early October and that the company plans to make the vaccine publicly available shortly after it is officially recommended.
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