Synagis®
(palivizumab)
About Synagis
Synagis is the only humanized monoclonal antibody approved for the prevention of serious lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children at high risk for the disease. RSV causes acute respiratory tract illness in patients of all ages, and in infants and children, RSV may cause bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Conditions that increase the risk of severe RSV infection include premature birth, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease. RSV infections are most prevalent between mid-September and April. Nearly all children have been infected at least once by the time they reach their second birthday. Children born prematurely as well as those with chronic lung disease or with CHD are at high risk for severe disease and hospitalization due to RSV. Other high-risk groups include the elderly, those with underlying respiratory or cardiac disease and those with compromised immune systems. Synagis is marketed in the US by AstraZeneca/MedImmune and in the rest of the world by Abbott.
How Synagis Works
Synagis neutralizes RSV and prevents its replication.
Current Indications
Synagis was launched in the US in 1998 for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease infections caused by RSV in infants born prematurely or with chronic lung disease. Synagis was launched in the EU in 1999 and was further approved in the US and EU for prophylactic use in children with congenital heart disease in 2003.
Clinical Trials
Clinical studies are being conducted for motavizumab, which is the next generation of Synagis.