What is RSV?
Although RSV is commonly associated with infants and young children, it can also be dangerous for seniors. Each year in the United States, an estimated 159,000 people 65 and older are hospitalized with RSV, and 10,000 to 13,000 die as a result of their illness.
“RSV is unquestionably a significant disease in the elderly.” In certain years, the burden of RSV illness in the elderly is comparable to that of the flu. And this is a very amazing breakthrough,” said Dr. Ruth Karron, an international health professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who was not involved in the vaccine’s development. Arexvy, which is intended for individuals 60 and older, is currently authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration.
A major discovery paves the way
The GSK vaccine was 83% effective in preventing lower respiratory tract sickness caused by the virus in a clinical study of approximately 25,000 older people, with the results reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. Lower respiratory tract disease was defined in the study as a positive test and two additional symptoms for at least a day. It includes a new or worsening cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, an elevated respiratory rate, low blood oxygen, or crackles in the lungs, which a doctor would detect with a stethoscope. The vaccination was 94% efficient at avoiding serious illness in seniors.
How is the RSV vaccine manufactured?
GSK’s RSV vaccine works by using a small part of the virus. The fusion, or F, protein helps the virus cling onto and infect cells in the body’s upper airways. The protein fragments in the vaccine are created in a laboratory using cells that are properly designed to do so.
The vaccination draws on a critical finding made a decade ago by experts at the National Institutes of Health, including some of the same scientists that worked on the COVID-19 immunizations.
The RSV vaccine works well for most vulnerable seniors.
Researchers discovered that the vaccination was 94% efficient at preventing lower respiratory tract infections in the most susceptible elderly, those with underlying health issues such as COPD, heart failure, or heart disease. “That’s really remarkable information because that’s the kind of disease we want to avoid.” “We want to keep people out of the hospital with RSV,” said Dr. Len Friedland.
The most prevalent negative effects reported by clinical trial participants were discomfort at the injection site and tiredness. Those usually resolve themselves within a day or two. According to him, it’s uncertain how long the vaccine’s protection will last. The researchers will continue to analyze vaccination effectiveness over time by tracking trial participants for three years. So far, the protection appears effective.
More RSV vaccines are on the way
Three more RSV vaccinations for elderly people are also nearing completion. By the end of May, the FDA is anticipated to reach a judgment on Pfizer’s RSV vaccination for older persons. The regulator is also examining Pfizer’s maternal vaccination to protect newborns, and a decision is due before the end of August.
Moderna is nearing the end of its Phase 3 study of an mRNA vaccine for RSV in older adults and plans to submit the findings to the FDA for clearance in the coming months. The manufacturer of the Jeno’s pox vaccine, Bavarian Nordic, said it will disclose findings from a Phase 3 study of its RSV vaccination for older individuals this year.
Scientific triumph after tragedy
The search for a viable RSV vaccine is the story of a scientific victory against tragedy. Two children died and several others went to the hospital with severe RSV in the 1960s when the experimental vaccinations they got proved to amplify the infection rather than protect against it.
The vaccine performed well on animals, who accepted it well, before giving it to children, who also looked to respond well. Unfortunately, when RSV season began that fall, many of the vaccinated children required hospitalization and developed more severe RSV disease than would have normally occurred.
According to trial research, 80% of vaccinated children required hospitalization, compared to only 5% of placebo children. The results marked a seismic shift in vaccination research. “It’s taken us a long time to figure out RSV’s mysteries and secrets,” said Dr. Steven Varga. “It’s an exciting time.”
Conclusion
The development of RSV vaccines began in the 1960s with a failed formalin-inactivated RSV vaccine. After a 60-year scientific journey, the world now has its first RSV vaccine that defends against the respiratory syncytial virus, with more on the way.
