Parents, doctors demand free RSV shots for all infants in BC
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Infant vaccination for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is now available across Canada, but it still comes at a high out-of-pocket price for most parents in BC.
Dr. Patrick Hemans, a Northern BC family physician who had to travel to Seattle last year to buy a dose of nirsevimab for his prematurely born daughter, says he’s glad no one else will have to cross international borders to secure the antibody.
“I think it wasn’t easy to travel to another country to get a medication that should be widely available in Canada,” he said. “This drug is extremely effective in preventing (RSV), which is a game changer.”
But she and many other parents and doctors say they don’t just want the vaccine to be available to all babies, they want it to be free.
nirsevimab Was approved by Health Canada in April 2023 and recommended for all infants in their first RSV season – fall and winter.
It is made by AstraZeneca and distributed in Canada by the pharmaceutical company Sanofi under the name Befortus, and its price varies.OM $800 to $900.
A Prince George doctor and the parents of a premature baby are calling for a new life-saving vaccine to be made available to all babies in British Columbia.
Funding varies across Canada
Most of Canada has a publicly funded RSV program where all children can receive nirsevimab at no cost.
The only outliers are British Columbia, Alberta and New Brunswick.
In BC, nirsevimab is only covered for certain high-risk infants and those born in some remote communities. Hemans says that despite being born prematurely, her daughter was not considered high-risk enough to qualify for vaccination.
RSV usually causes minor colds, but can cause serious illness in vulnerable groups such as older adults and newborns.
A A recent study from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of British Columbia found that infants under six months of age accounted for about 45 per cent and nearly 50 per cent of all RSV-related hospitalizations in Canada. cents (about $32.5 million)e Total annual cost.
“It’s a huge risk that if your child catches it, they’ll be hospitalized because their body can’t handle it at that age,” said Calgary mother Katrina Bellavance, whose youngest daughter, Maxine, was about eight weeks old when she was hospitalized for four days.
Bellavance said her daughter was exposed to RSV in February 2023 and she would have vaccinated her daughter if the option had been available to her at that time.
“Having antibody treatments available, especially for premature babies, could keep many babies out of the hospital and save many families a really stressful experience,” he said.
“It makes no sense to me that some provincial governments are unwilling to provide it.”
in 2024 National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), which advises the federal government, has recommended prioritizing coverage for high-risk infants because of the steep price of nersevimab. – At that time, $952.
But the committee also recommended working toward “a universal RSV vaccination program for all infants.”
Coverage may change
However, it is up to the provinces whether they will cover the cost of the drugs.
The BC Ministry of Health said it reviews the eligibility criteria for vaccination coverage every year.
It said 4,000 doses of nersevimab are available for high-risk infants for the 2025-26 respiratory disease season.
Children who do not meet the criteria can still receive antibodies on a private-payment basis, the ministry said, but the availability of products for private purchase is at the discretion of the manufacturer.
Dr. Catherine Smart, a pediatrician and former president of the Canadian Medical Association, said she hopes coverage eligibility may change.
“Given the pressure on our health-care system and the cost of RSV disease even in infants who do not have risk factors, I think we may see provinces realize that offering nersevimab to all infants is a better economic decision,” he said.
One challenge with nersevimab not being covered is that information about it is not reliably communicated to parents, so families willing to pay the bill may not know the option exists, she said.
“We need to talk about it, making sure families know it’s available, but equally important making it accessible to all babies.”
