FDA approves RSV vaccine for moms-to-be to guard their newborns

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators have approved the first RSV vaccine for pregnant women to protect their newborns. The respiratory infection fills hospitals with wheezing babies every fall and winter. Pfizer’s vaccine, given in late pregnancy, allows moms-to-be to develop virus-fighting antibodies that pass to their fetus. The Food and Drug Administration approval came late Monday (Aug. 21, 2023). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must sign off before maternal vaccinations begin. The only other option to protect babies is giving them lab-made antibodies. RSV is a coldlike nuisance for most healthy people but it can be life-threatening for the very young.