RSV prevention options for infants and older adults: A specific expanding competitive arena

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.