Sanofi’s Beyfortus study highlights benefit for infants beyond first RSV season

Recently, a universal RSV immunization program using Beyfortus was associated with a statistically significant reduction in RSV-related hospitalizations in the second RSV season among infants immunized during their first season, according to a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. In addition, the NIRSE-GAL study, conducted in Galicia, Spain, is the first prospective real-world population study to evaluate the impact of a universal Beyfortus immunization program during two consecutive RSV seasons.

Note that the coverage rate was 94.4% among the cohort and the study showed a substantial reduction of 85.9% in RSV-related lower respiratory tract infection hospitalizations during the first season. The study also showed 55.3% fewer hospitalizations in the second RSV season among infants who received a dose of Beyfortus during infancy. By preventing severe RSV infections during the first months of life, a critical period of lung development, it is thought the infants may be less prone to subsequent admissions from either RSV or other infections.

“This universal RSV immunization program with Beyfortus showed decreased RSV-related hospitalizations and outpatient illness burden during the first season, with persistent impact seen on RSV hospitalizations through the second season,” said Federico Martinón-Torres, Head of Pediatrics at Santiago University Hospital in Spain, and principal investigator of the NIRSE-GAL study. “These results offer compelling population-based data to inform infant immunization strategies and economic evaluation models.”

“This study builds upon our wealth of evidence supporting the public health value of a Beyfortus immunization program,” said Thomas Triomphe, Executive Vice President, Vaccines, Sanofi. “It’s exciting to see the significant impact of this infant immunization program during the first RSV season and truly remarkable to consider a benefit across two seasons.”

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Related Topics and Keywords

beyfortus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rsv, The Lancet Infectious Diseases