Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season in Ohio typically begins in the Fall and extends into the early Spring. As a result of factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic, RSV season shifted in 2021, with high community spread beginning in June and persisting through November. This year may follow a similar pattern as the Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s lab is detecting more cases of RSV. Palivizumab (Synagis®) is an intramuscular-delivered monoclonal antibody approved for infants who are high risk for severe RSV infection. In order to be effective, palivizumab should be administered each month when RSV-rates are highest in the community. A multi-disciplinary team of infectious disease doctors, neonatologists and pharmacists are reviewing the data weekly to determine when it may become appropriate to start administering palivizumab. We will keep you updated on if and when this recommendation is made ahead of the typical RSV season (i.e. November to March).
Below are some resources to help you start identifying patients eligible for palivizumab as well as how you can refer these patients to NCH Homecare for palivizumab administration. Please also find links to palivizumab prior authorization forms below for each of the Ohio Medicaid managed care plans. Do not hesitate to reach out to the PFK Pharmacy team (PFKpharmacy@nationwidechildrens.org), if you have questions regarding referrals, prior authorizations, or assessing clinical criteria for potential palivizumab candidates.
NCH Resources:
For Providers: Click Here
General Public: Click Here
Ohio Medicaid Managed Care Plan PA forms for palivizumab (Subject to change with 2022-2023 updates):