For the last 60 years, doctors and scientists throughout the United States have been searching, testing and searching again for a vaccine to fight against respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV.
The time has finally come – on Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Arexy, developed and distributed by pharmaceutical giant GSK. Similar vaccines are expected to roll out soon from competitors including Pfizer and Moderna.
“Today’s approval of the first RSV vaccine is an important public health achievement to prevent a disease which can be life-threatening,” said senior US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official Peter Marks in a statement.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will need to recommend the vaccine before it becomes readily available to the public. A committee is scheduled to meet in June to discuss how the shot should be utilized.
Dr. Phil Dormitzer, GSK’s senior vice president and global head of vaccines research and development stated that they aim to have the shots available before the next RSV season in the fall and winter, though specific production numbers were not shared.
The RSV vaccine was approved for people 60 years and older based on a study of 25,000 people that resulted in an 83 percent efficacy rate against severe disease. The most common side effects included injection spine pain, fatigue, muscle pain, joint stiffness and headaches.
RSV usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms however, severe cases of illness can cause pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants as well as the elderly. This vaccine will certainly be critical in controlling the RSV virus’ severity in people not just in the U.S. but around the world.
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