Yasmina Kattou / Photo credit: Aline Morcillo / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 20:05 p.m., August 01, 2023

A first preventive treatment against bronchiolitis in infants has been given the green light by the High Authority for Health. Developed by an alliance between AstraZeneca and Sanofi, this vaccine will be administered, free of charge, from September to babies under one year of age.

It was expected by pediatricians and parents. A first preventive treatment against bronchiolitis in infants has been validated by the High Authority for Health. Developed by the alliance of the French group Sanofi and its British partner AstraZeneca, it takes the form of a vaccine.

But in reality, it is a monoclonal antibody treatment. This means that instead of administering an inactivated virus for the body to make antibodies, the serum directly delivers the antibodies needed by the baby to protect itself. All children under the age of one, who will experience their first winter at the end of the year, will be affected.

Hospitalization avoided in 83% of cases

It will therefore be a single dose injection that will operate in the thigh and will offer the baby very fast protection against bronchiolitis. For this fully reimbursed treatment, you can contact your pediatrician or the maternity ward if the baby is born in the middle of a pandemic during the winter.

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According to the results of clinical trials, the drug avoids hospitalization in 83% of cases. To relieve hospitals which, last year, had seen their paediatric services completely overwhelmed because of the many cases of bronchiolitis. Nearly 75,000 emergency room visits had been recorded and 26,000 children under 2 years of age had to be hospitalized.