Budapest, 4 June 2025 – On 4 June 2025, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals won the prestigious “Drug of the Year 2024” award of the Hungarian Society of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology (MFT) with the ABRYSVO vaccine. This innovation is the first and only approved vaccine against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) that can be used to immunise pregnant women to protect their unborn babies as safely as it can be used in people aged 18 years and over. According to a European study, about 40 percent of hospitalisations for respiratory illness in infants are due to RSV infection, and more than half of these cases involve infants under 3 months of age.2
Why is the Abrysvo RSV vaccine a breakthrough?
Abrysvo’s innovation is most pronounced in the development of the maternal immunisation form. In this indication, Abrysvo is proposed for passive immunisation of infants from birth to 6 months of age, following administration of the vaccine to the mother during pregnancy.3 This means that it helps to prevent lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV from the first breath against potentially serious illness in infants until 6 months of age, a significant advance in prevention of an infection for which no antiviral drug, i.e. no OTC therapy, is available.
Almost all young children can catch RSV by the age of 2-3 years, but it is impossible to predict which infants will develop severe disease.4,5 Although RSV infection is common, cases requiring hospitalisation are unpredictable – so prevention from newborn age is important.
What is RSV infection?
RSV infection, which is spread by droplet infection and affects the respiratory tract and lungs, is caused by a virus called respiratory giant cell virus, which is particularly dangerous for newborns, babies and the elderly. Fortunately, if pregnant women get the preventive vaccine in time, they can protect their unborn child from this virus from the moment of birth. 4-7 RSV infection damages the epithelium of the airways, as the name suggests (syncytial – tissue part losing cell borders, giant cell), as it causes the infected cells to ‘fuse’ together. This causes inflammation of the airways, initially with mild cold-like symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, fever, and later the infection can lead to inflammation of the lower airways, which can result in severe pneumonia, bronchitis and dyspnoea.
Epidemiological studies show that in infants, age less than 6 months is in itself a risk for severe RSV infection, as inflammation of the alveolar mucosa can result in significant respiratory distress and a life-threatening condition. This is particularly important because active vaccination cannot be used in infants aged 0-2 months due to immune immaturity. For this reason, the maternal immunization strategy has been chosen by Pfizer as a novel approach to infant RSV prevention, providing protection from birth in newborns and infants.3,5
In Europe, one study estimates that 1 in 56 healthy babies born preterm each year are hospitalized for RSV infection. The majority of hospitalised infants are healthy, premature, mature babies, meaning that any child is at risk of developing serious, life-threatening conditions caused by RSV from the moment of birth.2
Vaccination may also be recommended for people over 18 years of age, particularly those with chronic illness, immunocompromised patients and older people, for whom prevention of respiratory tract infections is a priority, as hospital admission and further deterioration of underlying disease can often be prevented by vaccination.
Krisztina Zsigmond, Managing Director of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals said – “We believe that science makes a difference when it reaches those who need it most – whether it’s a newborn baby or an elderly patient. With the Abrysvo vaccine, Pfizer has opened up a new era in prevention: we can protect against one of the most dangerous respiratory viruses from the moment of birth. This award reaffirms our belief that the healthcare of the future not only treats, but prevents. We are committed to pioneering solutions that contribute to the health of communities – today, tomorrow and for generations to come. Behind all our forward thinking is the belief that we can use the power of science to make a difference in people’s lives.”
ABRYSVO
