Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2025
An Improved and High Throughput Respiratory Syncytial Virus RSV Micro-neutralization Assay
Published on: January 26, 2019
RSV prevention options for infants and older adults: A specific expanding competitive arena
Livio Garattini1, Antonio Clavenna2
1Department of Health Policy, Institute for Pharmacological Research Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Insights
New pharmaceutical options for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) are emerging, including monoclonal antibodies and vaccines. This review helps European policymakers manage the financial impact of these expensive RSV preventatives.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Public Health
- Health Economics
Background:
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus causing mild illness in most but severe disease in vulnerable populations like infants and the elderly.
- Current prevention strategies include monoclonal antibodies (mABs) for infants and vaccines for older adults.
- The market for RSV preventatives has recently expanded significantly after decades with limited options.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of the diverse and increasing range of pharmaceutical products for RSV prevention.
- To offer recommendations for European policymakers to manage the financial implications of new, costly RSV interventions.
- To prevent the potential overestimation of RSV as a public health risk driven by commercial interests.
Main Methods:
- Review and analysis of currently available and emerging pharmaceutical options for RSV prevention.
- Assessment of the market landscape for RSV therapeutics.
- Economic impact analysis concerning public pharmaceutical expenditures in Europe.
Main Results:
- The pharmaceutical landscape for RSV prevention has become crowded with new monoclonal antibodies and vaccines.
- Existing options are primarily targeted at infants and older adults.
- New interventions present a significant potential financial burden on European healthcare systems.
Conclusions:
- A strategic approach is needed to manage the introduction and cost of new RSV preventatives.
- Policy recommendations are crucial to ensure rational use and control expenditure on RSV interventions.
- Careful consideration of RSV's public health impact versus commercial influence is necessary for European policy.
Abstract:
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is an ubiquitous respiratory virus, which spreads like seasonal influenza throughout winter time in temperate climate countries. RSV infections are usually mild in healthy children and adults, but may be severe in premature infants, young children with congenital heart disease or chronic lung disease, immunocompromised individuals and frail elderly people. At present, the pharmaceutical options to prevent RSV negative effects can be divided into monoclonal antibodies (mABs) and vaccines (active immunization). The two mABs licensed so far are indicated only for infants, while the first vaccines approved are mainly recommended for older adults. The pharmaceutical competitive arena of products to prevent RSV negative effects has recently become very crowded after more than two decades with only one mAB as the unique option. Here, we try to put order in the dramatically increasing mix of very different products which have been recently launched. The aim of our effort is to provide some suggestions for European policy makers in order to limit the potentially relevant financial impact of these new expensive options on public pharmaceutical expenditures. We hope the suggested strategies might help to avoid transforming RSV from an apparently underscored health issue into a clearly overestimated health risk for the whole population in European countries. This dramatic change could be driven by a bunch of powerful multinational companies.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Pneumonia V: Nursing management and Prevention
The nurse must practice strict medical asepsis and adhere to infection control guidelines to minimize healthcare-associated infections.
Enhance airway patency
Position the patient correctly to facilitate drainage of the affected lung segments. Manual or mechanical percussion and vibration can also be employed....
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
01:26Standard Precaution
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:30Preventive Healthcare Services