A long-lasting injection that protects at-risk infants from RSV will be rolled out for the first time from late September. 

It will be offered to babies born this year before 32 weeks gestation and seasonally to eligible high-risk infants and young children with complex heart, lung or weakened immune system conditions. 

Nirsevimab is a single-dose injectable monoclonal antibody available as a pre-filled syringe. It offers six months’ protection in a single dose and will replace monthly injections of palivizumab, previously offered to a smaller number of vulnerable babies. 

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According to the World Health Organization respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infects virtually all children by the age of two and is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation – it can lead to life-threatening pneumonia and infant bronchiolitis, a lung infection. 

Data show that babies born prematurely are three times more likely to need hospital admission due to RSV, and ten times more likely to need intensive care, compared to full-term babies. 

In the UK, every year around 30,000 children under the age of five are hospitalised with RSV, and it causes around 30 infant deaths. 

Currently, pregnant women are offered an RSV vaccination at around 28 weeks to trigger antibodies that can protect the baby in the womb from when they are born. But if the baby is delivered before 32 weeks, they will have limited or no protection from vaccinations.  

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Rather than stimulating the body’s immune system to mount its own immune response to disease – as with the RSV vaccine – nirsevimab uses manufactured antibodies that create a barrier to stop the virus from entering and infecting tissue.  

NHS England director of specialised commissioning, John Stewart, said: ‘For babies born very prematurely, the risk of contracting RSV in their first winter is high and extremely serious. 

‘This new medication will provide vulnerable infants with their own suit of armour that protects against what can be a life-threatening infection.’ 

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Eligible infants entering their first RSV season – from September to February – will receive the injection under the ongoing care of their specialist neonatal team, or their family will be directed by the clinical team managing their child’s health on how to receive the immunisation ahead of winter. 

NHS England confirmed there were no current plans to make it available in pharmacies or GP practices.