Why the new RSV drug isn’t available

Last year, RSV sent thousands of babies to the hospital—but this year was supposed to be different. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new antibody drug, nirsevimab (sold under the brand name Beyfortus), which babies would get to protect them from infection. But in late October, just as the RSV season was getting started, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerted doctors that the drug was in short supply.

I called a bunch of pediatricians around the country, who said that most babies are not at high risk of developing complications because of RSV. That means parents can protect them by keeping them away from sick people and crowded situations, and by washing their hands often. But having the drug could reduce infections and complications from the disease. Here’s what the doctors shared about why doses are so hard to get, and what options they're offering worried parents:

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