The bronchiolitis epidemic is well established in France, pediatricians fear restricted access to Beyfortus for “the most modest” families

With a delay of a few weeks compared to previous years, the bronchiolitis epidemic is now well established in the territory, with seven regions affected in mainland France, but also in the Antilles and Guyana. From November 18 to 24, the disease affected 13.7% of emergency room visits, 27.2% of hospitalizations and 32.9% of admissions to intensive care units among children under 2 years old, according to a Public Health France bulletin published Wednesday November 27. Pediatricians are concerned about the difficulties in accessing one of the two preventive treatments against this infection of the bronchioles, the final ramifications of the bronchi, particularly dangerous for newborns and children up to the age of 2 years.

During the 2023-2024 winter season, nearly 245,000 doses of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody marketed by Sanofi under the name Beyfortus, were distributed free of charge in France, mainly in maternity hospitals. The government had in fact decided to constitute a State stock and to finance, without advance costs, this therapeutic innovation, the first to be able to be used widely against bronchiolitis in infants. These are synthetic antibodies injected directly into the child, allowing them to fight against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the cause of the majority of bronchiolitis. Two large studies (Melody and Harmonie) showed a reduction in the risk of hospitalization from 62% to 83% thanks to this passive immunization.

But in 2024, Health Insurance will only reimburse Beyfortus up to 30%, it is up to parents to ensure that their mutual reimburses the entire product, hoping not to have to advance the rest. no less than 281.26 euros.

Certainly, parents requesting an injection for their newborn directly during their visit to the maternity ward will not have to pay 1 cent. Once released from hospital, most policyholders subscribing to mutual insurance, i.e. 96% of the population, will not have to advance this very high sum either. But several pediatrician societies, including the French Society of Pediatrics (SFP) and the French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics, published a press release on November 20, saying they feared that this low reimbursement “do not penalize the most modest families”.

Medical service rendered deemed “moderate”

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