Incidence of respiratory syncytial virus infection in children with congenital heart disease undergoing immunoprophylaxis with palivizumab in Pará state, north region of Brazil

Effectiveness and Safety of Palivizumab for the Prevention of Serious Lower Respiratory Tract Infection Caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

Palivizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody approved for the prevention of serious lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants and young children at high risk of RSV disease. This systematic review summarized evidence on the effectiveness and safety of palivizumab when used in approved populations.

STUDY DESIGN

A systematic review of Phase III trials and observational studies was conducted according to the population, intervention, comparator, outcome, timing, setting (PICOTS) approach (PROSPERO, CRD42021281380). Target populations consisted of infants with a history of premature birth (≤35-week gestational age) and children aged <2 years with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or with hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease (hs-CHD). Outcomes of interest included RSV-related hospitalization, admission to intensive care unit (ICU), requirement for mechanical ventilation, treatment-related adverse events (AEs), and RSV-related deaths. Information sources were literature search (Ovid MEDLINE and Embase), pragmatic searches, and snowballing (covering the period up to 07 September 2021).

RESULTS

A total of 60 sources were included (5 Phase III trials and 55 observational studies). RSV-related hospitalization rates following palivizumab prophylaxis in Phase III trials were 1.8% in premature infants and 7.9% in children with BPD, which were significantly lower than rates in placebo arms. In the real-world setting, similar hospitalization rates were found (0.7-4.0% in premature infants [16 studies] and 0-5.5% in patients with BPD [10 studies]) with ICU admission reported in 0 to 33.3% of patients hospitalized for RSV. In Phase III trials, RSV-related mortality rates were 0.2 and 0.3%, while AEs occurred in 11% of premature and/or BPD patients and 7.2% of hs-CHD patients, consisting mainly of injection site reaction, fever, and diarrhea. Similar results were found in observational studies.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review supports the effectiveness and safety of palivizumab in the indicated populations.

KEY POINTS

· Systematic review supports the positive benefit-risk profile of palivizumab in the indicated populations.. · Real-world safety and effectiveness of palivizumab are consistent with Phase III trials results.. · Palivizumab reduces RSV-related hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and need for mechanical ventilation..

Insights into Cardiovascular Defects and Cardiac Epigenome in the Context of COVID-19

Although few in number, studies on epigenome of the heart of COVID-19 patients show that epigenetic signatures such as DNA methylation are significantly altered, leading to changes in expression of several genes. It contributes to pathogenic cardiac phenotypes of COVID-19, e.g., low heart rate, myocardial edema, and myofibrillar disarray. DNA methylation studies reveal changes which likely contribute to cardiac disease through unknown mechanisms. The incidence of severe COVID-19 disease, including hospitalization, requiring respiratory support, morbidity, and mortality, is disproportionately higher in individuals with co-morbidities. This poses unprecedented strains on the global healthcare system. While their underlying conditions make patients more susceptible to severe COVID-19 disease, strained healthcare systems, lack of adequate support, or sedentary lifestyles from ongoing lockdowns have proved detrimental to their underlying health conditions, thus pushing them to severe risk of congenital heart disease (CHD) itself. Prophylactic vaccines against COVID-19 have ushered new hope for CHD. A common connection between COVID-19 and CHD is SARS-CoV-2’s host receptor ACE2, because ACE2 regulates and protects organs, including the heart, in various ways. ACE2 is a common therapeutic target against cardiovascular disease and COVID-19 which damages organs. Hence, this review explores the above regarding CHDs, cardiovascular damage, and cardiac epigenetics, in COVID-19 patients.

Reasons of the delayed vaccination, recommendations and safety of vaccination in children with congenital heart disease in Zhejiang, China

There has been a considerable controversy about vaccination practices in Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) in China. This study aims to identify the reasons for deferring vaccination among the patient population attending the Vaccination Consultation Clinic in Zhejiang Province and the safety of their vaccination. We analyzed the data of 2442 children with CHD, who visited to our clinic from January 2016 to March 2019. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the reasons for their delayed vaccination. Information about the following vaccination and Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) was collected. Most of the enrolled children did not receive vaccines on time before consultation. The reasons for their deferring vaccination included: 1. Providers in the community health center refused to administer vaccines (77.6%); 2. Parents' concerns about the safety of vaccines (19.0%); 3. Parents' doubts about the efficiency of vaccines after certain drug applications (3.4%). According to the evaluation reports issued by the Vaccination Consultation Clinic, 83.7% of CHD children were recommended to be vaccinated on the nationally recommended schedule, 14.4% were recommended to defer some specific vaccination, and 1.9% were recommended to defer all vaccination. Among the group who received vaccines on nationally recommended schedule, the AEFI rate was 33.5/100 000. No rare or serious rare vaccine reactions were observed. Our study provides evidence that routine vaccination is safe in the majority of this patient population.

Updated cost-effectiveness analysis of palivizumab (Synagis) for the prophylaxis of respiratory syncytial virus in infant populations in the UK

AIMS

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of respiratory infection in infants and severe infection can result in hospitalization. The passive immunization, palivizumab, is used as prophylaxis against RSV, however, use in the UK is restricted to populations at high risk of hospitalization. This study assesses the cost-effectiveness (CE) of palivizumab in premature infants with and without risk factors for hospitalization (congenital heart disease [CHD], bronchopulmonary dysplasia [BPD]).

METHODS

A decision tree model, based on earlier CE analyses, was updated using data derived from targeted literature reviews and advice gained from a Round Table meeting. All costs were updated to 2019 prices. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the degree of uncertainty surrounding the results.

RESULTS

Palivizumab is dominant (i.e. clinically superior and cost saving) when used in premature infants born ≤35 weeks gestational age (wGA) without CHD or BPD and aged <6 months at the start of the RSV season, infants aged <24 months with CHD and infants aged <24 months requiring treatment for BPD within the last 6 months.

LIMITATIONS

One-way sensitivity analysis suggests that these results are highly sensitive to the efficacy of prophylaxis, number of doses, impact of long-term respiratory sequalae, rate of hospitalization and mortality due to RSV. A conservative approach has been taken toward long-term respiratory sequalae due to uncertainty around epidemiology and etiology and a lack of recent cost and utility data.

CONCLUSIONS

Palivizumab prophylaxis is cost-effective in preventing severe RSV infection requiring hospital admission in a wider population than currently recommended in UK guidelines. Prophylaxis in premature infants born <29 wGA, 29-32 wGA and 33-35 wGA without CHD or BPD aged <6 months at the start of the RSV season is not funded under current guidance, however, prophylaxis has been demonstrated to be cost-effective in this analysis.