Sanofi’s nirsevimab nails study goals for prevention of respiratory syncytial virus in infants

pharmafile | July 30, 2020 | News story | Research and Development |  Sanofi, nirsevimab, pharma 

Sanofi’s nirsevimab met its goals in a Phase 2b study, the company has revealed, investigating its efficacy in the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in preterm infant patients, a condition which is estimated to affect around 90% of all babies before the age of two.

The data, Sanofi said, showed that use of nirsevimab led to “significant reduction in medically attended lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), mainly bronchiolitis and pneumonia, and hospitalisations caused by RSV in healthy preterm infants.”

Specifically, the drug, which is currently in development in partnership with AstraZeneca, reduced RSV LRTI infections by 7.1% by 150 days following initial dose when compared to placebo, meeting the study’s primary endpoint. It also demonstrated a relative reduction of 78.4% in RSV LRTI hospitalisations over the same period versus placebo, nailing its secondary goal as well.

“The data for nirsevimab are exciting, as they highlight the potential for this innovative approach to protect infants from RSV with just one injection for the entire season,” commented Dr Joseph Domachowske, author of the study and Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Director of the Global Maternal-Child and Pediatric Health Program at the SUNY Upstate Medical University. “Nirsevimab offers the important potential to reduce hospitalisations and emergency department and in-office visits, which are a significant burden for healthcare systems.”

Matt Fellows