Palivizumab
SynagisRCSB PDB 2HWZ · 3D model
Drag to rotate. Scroll or pinch to zoom.
A lab-made antibody that attaches to RSV, a common respiratory virus, and blocks it from fusing with and infecting cells.
How it works
This medicine is a copy of an antibody your immune system might make naturally, given to a baby ahead of time rather than made by their own body. It works by grabbing onto a specific protein on the outside of RSV that the virus needs to break into cells. Because the antibody is given directly, protection is immediate but temporary, which is why repeat monthly doses are needed through the RSV season.
What it’s used for
A preventive antibody shot given monthly during RSV season to babies and young children at high risk of severe RSV illness. It is not a vaccine and is not used to treat a baby who already has RSV — it's given ahead of time to lower the chance of severe illness.
- Mechanism
- RSV F protein antagonist (mAb)
- Drug class
- Monoclonal antibody
- Therapeutic area
- Infectious Disease