HJF paved the way for two important therapies that help save the lives of thousands of infants at risk for RSV infection every year. The story of this successful collaboration that produced the FDA-approved drugs RespiGam® and Synagis® began in the 1970s. The result: these drug therapies continue to save the lives of premature infants and fragile young children. 

Each year, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) causes epidemics of severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia in premature infants and fragile children. In 1995, a new preventive therapy was developed through a collaborative effort involving researchers from the Uniformed Services University (USU) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and facilitated by HJF.