GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — An antibody vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration for RSV this summer is being called "a game changer."
Unfortunately, the drug is in short supply all over the nation.
"Everyone's trying to get their hands on it," said Dr. Steven Gelfand, regional medical director of newborn medicine for Trinity Health West Michigan, "The manufacturer is going to have a hard time keeping up with demand. It is that effective and it's that worthwhile."
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told doctors in an advisory to prioritize infants younger than six months, especially those with underlying conditions or chronic lung disease.
Dr. Gelfand said they are working very hard to get the medication out into the community, but are distributing it throughout his unit.
"I work in the NICU at Trinity Health here in Grand Rapids," said Gelfand, "We have been able to obtain several doses for our most vulnerable babies. So, as we discharge babies from the NICU, they will be receiving their first dose, really the one dose that they'll need for the entire winter. We used to have to dose monthly with the previous formulation."
Younger babies are at a greater risk to be hospitalized from RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. It is a very common virus, causing cold-like symptoms that can lead to breathing problems in young children.
"Your baby is going to breathe faster, and the baby is going to look like they're having to put in a little more effort to breathe," said Dr. Rosemary Olivero, pediatric infectious disease specialist at Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, "They may use extra muscles to breathe, meaning their belly will be moving in and out. They may be pulling in the skin, near their trachea or in between their ribs."
Dr. Olivero said RSV is the "leading cause of children coming into the emergency room and being hospitalized in their first two years of life."
Doctors are also urging pregnant patients to get another vaccine to protect their babies from RSV. Then, the newborn does not need the new antibody vaccine.
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