While he thought the study appeared to be well done, he pointed out that there are major differences in hospitalization rates for RSV between United States and European epidemiologic studies, and that there are likely other differences, such as the use of emergency departments for treatment rather than general practices. One concern he had was that the study might be used “as a means to suggest” that newborns with a score of 4 or 5 be given palivizumab (Synagis), “which would markedly increase costs without any proof of effectiveness, let alone cost-effectiveness.”
DR. CHILTON is a pediatrician at the Young Children's Health Center at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Dr. Chilton, formerly the chair of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's working group on RSV immunoprophylaxis, said he had no relevant financial disclosures.