Virginia Commonwealth University researchers are studying the effectiveness of introducing a new antibody in premature infants to manage the most common form of lower respiratory tract infections in children worldwide.
Respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, which is most common during the winter months, is the leading cause of pneumonia and bronchitis in premature infants. Lower respiratory infections account for more than 125,000 pediatric hospitalizations a year in the United States.
The VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics is one of about 100 sites across the country expected to enroll a total of 6,000 children under age 2. The phase III clinical trial will examine the safety and efficacy of a new anti-RSV molecule.
“Premature infants are at greatest risk for developing RSV because their lungs are not fully developed,” said Linda D. Meloy, M.D., associate professor and interim chair of general pediatrics and emergency medicine. “They also have great difficulty clearing the nasal secretions caused by the virus and recovery from the infection can be complex.”
Meloy, who is the primary investigator of the study at VCU, said VCU hopes to enroll about 50 participants and those who are at greatest risk for developing the virus will be the primary targets for recruitment.
“Researchers have been working hard to develop new antibodies with increased potency, patient compliance and efficacy to help prevent serious lower respiratory tract infections in pediatric patients at high risk for RSV,” said Meloy. Other factors that increase an infant’s risk of RSV include chronic lung disease and congenital heart disease.