NEW YORK CITY (WCCO/CNN) – As pediatric hospitals across the country still see an above-average number of hospitalizations due to respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, Pfizer is announcing the end of its trial for the RSV vaccine and says it is ready to submit its data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of the year.
In the Pfizer study, not yet published or peer-reviewed, 7,400 pregnant participants were given a single shot of the vaccine during the late second to third trimester of their pregnancy.
Pfizer says the vaccine was 82% effective at preventing severe illness in babies and 70% effective in preventing severe RSV in infants for six months.
Altamed Chief Health Correspondent and Medical Affairs Officer Dr. Ilan Shapiro said, “The RSV vaccine, that would be a different category of vaccine. That would be one that will be protecting the mom and most importantly, the newborn.”
Children’s hospitals remain filled with virus patients, due to RSV hospitalizations.
Brittney Rivera’s six-year-old son had to wait hours, just to see a doctor. She said, “Just having him not be able to get good rest is the worst because he is so tired and he can’t sleep very well.”
Pfizer also said that they’re making headway with positive results in an ongoing trial of the same vaccine for older adults.
If approved, Pfizer’s RSV vaccine will be the first related to the common respiratory virus in over two decades.
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