Nirsevimab protects against LRTI-related hospitalizations, ED visits in young children

Treatment with nirsevimab helps reduce hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits associated with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in infants and young children, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for postlicensure observational studies on the effectiveness of nirsevimab immunization programs in infants and children aged ≤24 months in routine clinical settings.

The main outcomes were all-cause LRTI-related hospitalization, all-cause hospitalization, all-cause LRTI-related ED visit, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-LRTI–related ED visit.

The search yielded 1,752 records, with 15 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. A total of 11 studies were included in the meta-analysis. These studies were from five countries and consisted of 236,764 infants and young children in the nirsevimab group and 27,522 in the control group.

Pooled data showed that compared with the control group, the nirsevimab group had 62-percent lower odds of all-cause LRTI-related hospitalization (odds ratio [OR], 0.38, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.28–0.53), 48-percent lower odds of all-cause LRTI-related ED visits (OR, 0.52, 95 percent CI, 0.37–0.73), and 76-percent lower odds of RSV-LRTI–related ED visits (OR, 0.24, 95 percent CI, 0.13–0.47).

There was no evidence of association between nirsevimab and all-cause hospitalizations (OR, 0.56, 95 percent CI, 0.14–2.20).

The findings point to the potential of nirsevimab to reduce respiratory-related morbidity and healthcare utilization in young children.