Dr. Janet Englund's ID Research group has been studying this monoclonal antibody for the past five years (as well as maternal immunization), and they are excited to see this product finally get to all the babies who need it.
The CDC-sponsored surveillance network, New Vaccine Surveillance Network, is led by Eileen Klein, Danielle Zerr, and Janet Englund, will be part of the group monitoring the impact of this product on young children in the US this fall.
Dr. Englund's group awaits the ACIP recommendation for the RSV vaccine in pregnant women in October. Data from NVSN were used extensively throughout the decision-making process and are noted today as the core platform to monitor nirsevimab's future impact.
The ACIP voted to recommend nirsevimab to prevent medically-attended RSV infection in infants. Data from NVSN were used extensively throughout the decision-making process and are noted today as the core platform to monitor the impact of nirsevimab going forward. Twenty-four years after NVSN was started, it's happening!
Here is a summary of what today's recommendations mean for our NVSN ARI activities:
- NVSN is right on track to lead CDC's effort to monitor nirsevimab effectiveness and impact. There were no surprises today. We were built for this!
- Our work will be a marathon. It will take time to get nirsevimab into health systems and with providers, and it may not be available before the season starts. Some health systems may start administering it before others.
- Assume there will be very limited IIS verification this season. Nirsevimab will likely not reliably be recorded in most state IISs this season, and doses administered prior to IIS availability may not be added retrospectively. If your site does not have a system to request PCP records or records from birth hospitals, now is the time to establish these systems. All sites must be prepared to perform these surveillance activities this season. Please reach out if you have questions or concerns.