The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory committee voted to recommend a new monoclonal antibody shot for infants as young as 8 months old against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The recommendation comes after the panel reviewed data showing that about half of all U.S. children are eligible for free or low-cost vaccines.
The ACIP voted 5-2 to endorse clesrovimab, made by Merck, for infants under 8 months old who have not received a maternal vaccine. A second vote recommended updating the resolution for the federal Vaccines for Children program to include details about the newly approved antibody shot.
If signed off by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., clesrovimab will be made available along with another RSV shot made by Sanofi/AstraZeneca. The CDC director, currently vacant, had previously dismissed the entire ACIP panel and appointed new members to review the childhood immunization schedule.
Monoclonal antibodies are proteins that mimic the body’s natural defenses against infections. They do not activate the immune system like vaccines but provide protection in specific situations. RSV vaccines are already recommended for pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, as well as a small group of babies aged 8 months to 19 months at increased risk.
ACIP members praised the vaccine’s real-world impacts on public health, while expressing some skepticism about the maternal vaccine’s efficacy over time. The panel also announced plans to review the childhood immunization schedule and establish new work groups to examine vaccines that haven’t been reviewed in seven years.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/cdc-vaccine-advisory-panel-study-child-immunization-schedule/story?id=123191647