St. Jude Children's Research Hospital recently announced that it has signed a licensing agreement granting Serum Institute of India exclusive rights to complete the development of the hospital's respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, vaccine.
Through this agreement, Serum Institute of India will be able to design and conduct clinical trials investigating the intranasal SeVRSV vaccine and commercialize the vaccine in South America, Africa and much of Asia, according to a press release.
"RSV remains a serious threat to infants worldwide during their first year of life and to anyone, including pediatric cancer patients, whose immune response has been weakened by illness or age," James R. Downing, MD, president and CEO at St. Jude, said in the release. "We are pleased that Serum's staff and leadership have recognized the life-saving potential of this vaccine. We look forward to working closely with them to make this vaccine accessible around the globe."
RSV is a common cause of lower respiratory infections, affecting as many as 43 million children younger than 5 years of age worldwide each year, the release said. About 10% of these patients may require hospitalization.
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