In a surprise move, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine committee voted to recommend a new shot that protects infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The eight-member panel, appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., approved the Clesrovimab monoclonal antibody for use in infants under 8 months born during or entering their first RSV season.
The recommendation comes as a surprise to close watchers of the panel, given its new composition, which includes vaccine skeptics. However, experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) universally supported the drug, citing its ability to reduce hospitalizations by about 47% in newborns up to 2 months old.
RSV is a common virus that affects almost everyone by age 2, causing cold symptoms, respiratory issues, and occasionally severe pneumonia. The CDC reports that 58,000 children under 5 are hospitalized for RSV each year in the US, with several hundred dying.
The new recommendation joins existing vaccines against RSV, including Merck’s Clesrovimab, which was approved by the FDA in July 2023. Pfizer’s Abrysvo vaccine is also available to pregnant patients, recommended for use between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy during the RSV season.
In another decision, the panel unanimously voted to recommend flu vaccines for all Americans six months and older, following a peak in influenza levels in the US last year. With low vaccination rates among children, the CDC is urging increased protection against the flu virus.
Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2025/06/26/rfk-jr-acip-vote-rsv-shot-babies/84366939007