The United States, like France, will obtain 25% additional doses of preventive treatment for infants against bronchiolitis compared to their order initially placed for this winter (AFP / John MACDOUGALL)
The United States will obtain 25% additional doses of preventive treatment for infants against bronchiolitis compared to their order initially placed for this winter, as is done for France, the French pharmaceutical group Sanofi said on Friday.
On Thursday, the White House indicated that the manufacturers of the vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis, would deliver 230,000 additional doses for babies in January, after a meeting between industry manufacturers and government representatives. .
This announcement follows a distribution of 77,000 additional doses in November to meet demand after ongoing discussions with manufacturers to accelerate the availability of the product, the White House recalls in its press release.
In total, this represents an increase of 25% compared to the initial order of some 1.1 million doses.
France has also obtained 50,000 additional doses thanks to negotiations with Sanofi to cover vaccinations for newborns in maternity wards during this winter season, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced in mid-November. .
“Deliveries began at the end of November/beginning of December,” specifies Sanofi.
Initially, 200,000 doses had been planned by the authorities but the enthusiasm for this first campaign exceeded expectations, causing suspensions of deliveries to city pharmacies this fall.
With these 25% additional doses, again, “the immunization rates of the United States and France for this first season of Beyfortus will be equivalent”, underlines the French laboratory interviewed by AFP.
For the other countries where the treatment is available, Germany and Spain, Sanofi clarified that it had not sent additional doses, explaining that their ordering model differs from the United States and France.
Beyfortus (nirsevimab) is a monoclonal antibody developed by Sanofi in partnership with the British AstraZeneca, holder of the marketing authorization for Beyfortus and responsible for production.
It was approved in July in the United States and in October 2022 by the European Union.