Each year, the respiratory syncytial virus sends tens of thousands of Americans to the hospital. The first-ever RSV vaccination is now a potent new weapon in the fight against it.
The use of an RSV vaccine produced by GlaxoSmithKline in persons 60 and older has been authorized, according to a May 3 announcement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
RSV is a respiratory virus that often causes cold-like symptoms in healthy adults, but in newborns and the elderly, it can lead to serious illness, hospitalization, and even death. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 60,000 to 160,000 older persons are hospitalized in the United States each year due to lung infections brought on by RSV. Each year, between 6,000 and 10,000 of them pass away from RSV infections. Elderly people with long-term heart or lung conditions and people with compromised immune systems are particularly at risk.
Comparing the newly licensed vaccination to a placebo, the chance of contracting lung infections was lowered by 82.6 percent. Only seven of the approximately 25,000 participants in a trial who received the vaccination experienced RSV lung infections, as opposed to 40 of the participants who received a placebo. Even better, only one participant in the vaccine group and 17 in the placebo group suffered a severe lung infection, indicating a 94.1 percent success rate against that consequence.
Later in May, the FDA is anticipated to approve a Pfizer RSV vaccine for elderly persons. The Pfizer RSV vaccine, which is administered to pregnant women to safeguard their unborn children, will also be discussed by the FDA on May 18.
RSV vaccinations are being developed by a number of other businesses as well (SN: 4/27/23).
GSK is mandated by the FDA to keep an eye out for vaccination safety issues. In the clinical experiment, two participants who received the RSV vaccine and a flu shot experienced an uncommon form of inflammation that affects the brain and spinal cord. The illness, known as acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, claimed one life.
Additionally, one trial participant experienced Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disease in which the immune system assaults the nerves, causing muscle weakness or paralysis. A rare but significant side effect of several vaccinations is the syndrome. Additionally, the business is voluntarily keeping an eye out for atrial fibrillation, a disorder of the heart.