How It Works
Palivizumab stops respiratory syncytial
virus (RSV) from reproducing. This medicine contains
.
Why It Is Used
Palivizumab is used to prevent
. It is mainly used for
children who have a high risk of developing complications, such as those with
or heart problems. If your baby
was
or has health problems, talk to your doctor
about the need to prevent RSV.
If palivizumab does not prevent a
child from becoming infected with RSV, it may make the illness less severe.
This reduces the child's chance of having complications, such as
or
.
How Well It Works
Using palivizumab monthly during
the RSV season lowers the chance of needing to go to the hospital (for
RSV-related illnesses) by almost half, and it shortens the length of stay in
the hospital by more than half.
Palivizumab does not decrease how often children get other illnesses,
such as
.
Side Effects
Palivizumab may cause pain at the site
where the medicine was given.
See Drug Reference for a full list
of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)
What To Think About
If your baby or child has a high
risk of a serious RSV infection, talk to your doctor about whether your child
needs palivizumab.
Palivizumab is given as an injection in a doctor's office.
During the RSV season (late
fall to early spring), this shot is given once a month for up to 5 months. The number of doses depends on your child's risk factors.
Your child may need to take this medicine for most of the RSV season, regardless of whether he or she gets RSV
infection. Different strains of RSV can circulate within a community during the
same year, so treatment may still offer protection from infection.
Palivizumab does not interfere with
the regular
immunization schedule.
Complete the new medication information form (PDF)
(What is a document?) to help you understand this medication.
References
Citations
Horga MA, Moscona A (2006). Respiratory syncytial
virus. In FD Burg et al., eds., Current Pediatric Therapy, 18th ed., pp. 793–797. Philadelphia: Saunders
Elsevier.