A medical panel appointed by the US Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., voted Thursday in favor of a new treatment with antibodies against the VRS, a common respiratory disease that is the main cause of hospitalization of babies in the United States.
It was the first vote of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) since Kennedy dismissed all members of the influential group of experts, who gave few effective responses and solutions to the main viruses and diseases in children.
Clesrovimab was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for newborns and young babies that suffer from syncitial respiratory virus (VRS), responsible for bronchiolitis.
The Merck laboratory markets Clesrovimab under the name of Enflonsia. It was demonstrated in clinical trials that is safe and effective to significantly reduce infections and hospitalizations by VRS among infants.
The committee recommended managing this treatment for babies under eight months if their mother was not vaccinated during pregnancy.
Five members voted in favor and two against: Resef Levi, Professor of the MIT who has questioned the safety of vaccines against COVID-19, and Vicky Pebsworth, nurse and member of an anti-Vacunas organization.
“I don’t think this is prepared to administer all healthy babies. I think we should adopt a more preventive approach,” Levi said, explaining why he voted against.
