France increases reimbursement for RSV preventive treatments

French health insurance (Assurance Maladie) will increase the reimbursement rate for two preventive treatments against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) from 30% to 65% starting in late August.

The two treatments affected are Abrysvo, produced by Pfizer, and Beyfortus, developed by Sanofi and AstraZeneca. Abrysvo is a maternal vaccine administered late in pregnancy to pass immunity to the infant, while Beyfortus is an injectable synthetic antibody used to protect infants and children up to two years old during epidemic seasons.

This decision follows a re-evaluation by the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), which upgraded the medical benefit of these treatments from ‘moderate’ to ‘important’ in preventing RSV-related bronchiolitis. While bronchiolitis is often mild, it can lead to serious complications and hospitalizations in infants.