A major UK-led clinical trial has found that a treatment commonly used to help premature babies breathe offers no benefit for infants on life support with severe bronchiolitis – a seasonal viral illness that hospitalises thousands of babies each year.
Funded by a partnership between the UK’s UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and by Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA, Italy, the Bronchiolitis Endotracheal Surfactant Study (BESS) trial is the largest-ever randomised study of surfactant for bronchiolitis.
The results are published today (21 March 2026) in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Bronchiolitis occurs when a virus-most commonly respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-infects a baby’s lungs. There is currently no specific treatment for RSV infection, and the…