The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization has approved nirsevimab to protect infants under two years of age against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. This monoclonal antibody therapy is indicated for infants born healthy at term or preterm or with health conditions that make them susceptible to RSV infection. RSV is reported to infect two out of three infants in India during their first year of life and almost all infants by their second birthday. Besides causing pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants, RSV is a significant cause of hospitalization among infants worldwide.
Nirsevimab is available as a prefilled injection and has already been approved in the USA, the European Union, and Japan. Notably, it has been authorized in countries like the USA that face shortages of RSV vaccine. In India, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization is considering the…
