FDA Panel Recommends RSV Vaccine for Pregnant Women and Infants.

An FDA advisory panel has recommended Pfizer's RSV vaccine for pregnant women to protect infants from the potentially deadly respiratory virus. RSV is a common ailment that is most severe in young infants and older adults, with up to 80,000 children younger than 5 hospitalized with the virus each year and up to 300 dying. The vaccine was tested in about 7,300 women after the 24th week of pregnancy and was found to be 82% effective in preventing serious cases of RSV in infants for the first 90 days after birth. However, some advisers expressed concerns about elevated rates of preterm births among mothers who received the vaccine compared to those who received a placebo.