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full screenSanofi manufactures Beyfortus. Archive image. Photo: Thibault Camus/AP/TT
It is unclear when the new medicine against the RS virus that is given to infants can come to Sweden. It is considered too expensive at the moment, reports Sveriges Radio.
The antibody treatment Beyfortus was approved by the European Medicines Agency EMA last year, but Sweden is not a priority country for the manufacturer Sanofi to sell to.
Sanofi says demand is high and prioritizes selling to countries that recommend the drug for all newborn babies. In Sweden, it is only recommended for risk groups.
– Only giving to risk groups makes it very difficult for Sweden to get doses, says Per Öhlén, CEO of Sanofi Sweden, to SR.
Sanofi will negotiate with the so-called NT council, an expert group that has a mandate to give recommendations on new medicines to Sweden’s regions, and says it sees “all possibilities to give a heavy discount”.
– We were prepared to pay full price for the medicine to the group that had the greatest risk, but if we are going to introduce it to everyone, we need to negotiate a lower price, says council chairman Åsa Derolf.
Beyfortus, with the active substance nirsevimab, is used to prevent disease of the lower respiratory tract caused by the RS virus during the infant’s first viral season.