A post-incorporation study on the use of palivizumab in the Brazilian public health system

Authors

  • Joanna d’Arc Lyra Batista Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul, Chapecó, Santa Catarina, Brazil; Instituto de Avaliação de Tecnologia em Saúde, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3703-2845
  • Maria Angélica Pires Ferreira Instituto de Avaliação de Tecnologia em Saúde, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0961-524X
  • Cilene da Silva Xavier Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9807-2357
  • Ires Tarsila Alves de Souza Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1070-0580
  • Luciane Nascimento Cruz Instituto de Avaliação de Tecnologia em Saúde, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3749-7236
  • Carisi Anne Polanczyk Instituto de Avaliação de Tecnologia em Saúde, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2447-2577

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/s1678-9946202163005%20

Keywords:

Palivizumab, Respiratory syncytial viruses, Infant health, Comparative effectiveness research

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the main cause of lower respiratory disease in infants and children under five years of age. As there is no specific treatment for RSV infections, prophylaxis with the specific monoclonal antibody palivizumab (PVZ) has been widely recommended for high-risk cases during the RSV season. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a public prophylaxis program with palivizumab on the incidence of hospitalizations for lower respiratory tract infections and RSV in children at high risk for severe RSV infections. A retrospective cohort study was carried out with preterm children or children under two years of age with chronic lung disease or hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease; the children were selected on the basis of their exposure status, which was defined as the prophylactic use of palivizumab during the RSV season. Children were enrolled retrospectively in two hospitals located in Southern Brazil, from May 2009 to August 2016. In a sample of 129 children, 69 (53.5%) received palivizumab and adherence to three or more doses was observed in 78%; 60 (46.5%) children did not receive palivizumab. PVZ prophylaxis was independently associated with a 66% reduction in hospitalizations for any cause (26/69 - 37.7%) in the PVZ group and 34/60 (56.7%) in the control group). A 52% reduction in hospitalizations due to lower respiratory tract infection was observed in the PVZ group (15/69 -21.7%) and 25/60 (41.7%) in the control group. These findings suggest that, for the group of studied patients, the adoption of an RSV prophylaxis scheme reached the same effectiveness as those described in previous clinical trials.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2021-01-29

Issue

Section

Original Article

Funding data

How to Cite

A post-incorporation study on the use of palivizumab in the Brazilian public health system. (2021). Revista Do Instituto De Medicina Tropical De São Paulo, 63, e5. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1678-9946202163005