The Beyfortus treatment, which aims to immunize babies against the main virus causing bronchiolitis, will ultimately only be accessible to maternity wards in its version intended for the smallest infants, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday September 26.
The government “adapts its strategy in order to prioritize protecting children most at risk of being hospitalized”, he said in a press release. This decision comes just a few days after the treatment was made available, on September 15, 2023. The ministry justified this choice by the strong demand encountered by this treatment since the start of a vast immunization campaign in mid-September.
This preventive treatment against bronchiolitis, marketed under the name Beyfortus by Sanofi and AstraZeneca, attacks the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the main cause of the disease. This respiratory infection of the small bronchi, often benign, can progress in infants to serious forms, characterized by pauses in breathing (or apnea), by respiratory discomfort which can lead to exhaustion or by weight loss or dehydration. caused by difficulty eating. The epidemic season runs from mid-October to the end of winter with a peak in December.
The revamped baby immunization campaign
In this context, the French government launched on September 15 an immunization campaign intended for babies. However, she encountered a “very high membership rate”according to the Ministry of Health.
At the National Assembly, the minister, Aurélien Rousseau, welcomed a “exceptional success”. But this strong demand forces the ministry to review the organization of the campaign “for the sake of good management of available stocks”. Until now, all parents could order treatment in a pharmacy if their baby had been born since February.
From now on, the 50 mg version of the treatment, intended for infants weighing less than 5 kilograms, will be reserved for maternity wards. Pharmacies will be able to continue to order the 100 mg version, which is intended for babies of greater weight.
This decision is justified by the fact that “Infants under one month old are most at risk of developing a serious form of bronchiolitis”, explains the ministry, without mentioning the case of babies in this age group but already leaving the maternity ward. According to the latest data, dating from last week, hospitalizations linked to bronchiolitis are starting to increase but remain at a low level. ” weak “.