Abbott reports positive Synagis study data

Abbott and MedImmune have announced the results of a new clinical study showing that administration with Syangis (palivizumab) can potentially reduce wheezing in premature infants.

The trial results, published in this month’s issue of Journal of Paediatrics, show that the patient group of premature infants without chronic lung disease receiving the compound exhibited a 49 per cent drop in the occurrence of recurrent wheezing compared to those not administered with the drug.

Furthermore, the frequency of physician-diagnosed recurrent wheezing for infants receiving Synagis was 51 per cent lower than that for children not receiving treatment.

Synagis is a monoclonal antibody indicated for the prevention of serious lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children at high risk of contracting the disease.

Eric Simoes, professor in the Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said: “By preventing the most serious forms of RSV infections from progressing to its most serious form, Synagis may help protect premature children without chronic lung disease from recurrent wheezing in the first few years of life.”

Abbott reported that Syangis can protect infants from RSV for around a month and called on parents whose physicians have prescribed Synagis to ensure their infant receives a dose of the compound once every 30 days during the RSV season.