EFFECTIVENESS OF PALIVIZUMAB IN PREVENTING RSV HOSPITALIZATION IN HIGH-RISK CHILDREN: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL MULTICENTER STUDY

Background: Palivizumab is indicated for the prevention of serious respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease in high-risk infants.Aims: The purpose of the study was to assess the real-world effectiveness and safety of palivizumab in children at high risk for serious RSV disease during the 2014−2015 RSV season in the Russian Federation.Methods: A prospective, observational, multicentre, cohort study was conducted in a population of infants at high-risk for serious RSV illness: infants born ≤35 weeks of gestation and infants ≤24 months with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BDP) or congenital heart disease (CHD), who were administered palivizumab immunoprophylaxis in routine clinical settings. The study was conducted at 16 investigational sites of European Russia and Western Siberia.Results: A total of 359 infants were enrolled (180 boys and 179 girls). Of them, 148 (41.2%) infants had BDP, 45 (12.5%) infants had hemodynamically significant CHD, and 166 (46.2%) children of prematurity were at the risk of RSV. The majority of infants (86.9%) received three or more injections during the course of study. Of the 359 participants enrolled, 11 (3.1%; 95% CI 1.5−5.4) patients were hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infection. A RSV diagnostic test was performed in 9 infants, and RSV was detected in one patient giving an overall incidence of RSV hospitalization as 0.3% (95% CI 0.0−1.5).Conclusions: This study showed that immunoprophylaxis with palivizumab was associated with a low rate of RSV hospitalization. Overall, therapy with palivizumab was well-tolerated and showed a favourable benefit-risk profile.