Richard H. Hughes, IV, and Spreeha Choudhury, attorneys in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, co-authored an article in Vaccine, titled “Preventive Antibody Products Are Immunizations.”
Following is an excerpt:
For over 200 years, vaccines have been the predominant infectious disease prevention tool. The unmistakable advancements of Jenner, Pasteur and Hilleman are now joined by modern innovations, such as the development of new prophylactic antibody products. Indeed, not only can the body be taught to mount an immune response by vaccines, but antibodies themselves can be directly introduced into the body to fight off disease.
As these innovative methods of combatting disease become available for prophylactic use—backed by evidence of clinical effectiveness, safety and societal benefits—public health policies and programs should adapt to promote access to these methods. This has been the case for COVID-19, and the adaptation must continue to prevent other serious respiratory threats such as Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and other emerging or existing threats.
