“Bronchiolitis Vaccine: First RSV Vaccine for Elderly Authorized in USA and Awaiting Green Light from EU”

According to Santé Publique France, 30% of children under the age of two develop bronchiolitis. This highly contagious respiratory disease can be especially dangerous for toddlers. But good news arrives on the front of the fight against bronchiolitis: the United States has just authorized the first vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), responsible for this infection.

Bronchiolitis vaccine: authorized in the USA and awaiting the green light from the EU

The US Medicines Agency (FDA) has given the green light for the use of the Arexvy vaccine, developed by the British biopharmaceutical company GSK, for adults aged 60 and over. FDA official Peter Marks said in a communiqué published on May 3, 2023 that this authorization represents “a significant public health success in preventing a disease that can be fatal”.

The organization across the Atlantic made its decision after studying the results of a clinical trial of around 25,000 people. Half of the volunteers had the RSV vaccine and the other a placebo. The effectiveness of GSK’s product in preventing lower respiratory tract infections has been estimated at 83%.
Some side effects have been identified as fatigue, muscle aches and headaches. In a second study, one of the participants presented with Guillain-Barré syndrome, 9 days after having had a dose. The FDA has requested additional work to track this risk.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also studied the Arexvy vaccine file and gave its approval last April. However, the marketing of the product will only be effective after the decision of the European Commission. This should be delivered in the coming months. Institutions in other countries like Japan are also scrutinizing injections.

RSV: the elderly are also at risk

RSV is a particularly contagious virus, particularly dangerous for infants, but also for the elderly. A study published in 2020 in Medicine and Infectious Disease confirm:It also turns out to be an important factor of morbidity and mortality in the elderly where it could be associated with a significant percentage of hospitalizations for lower respiratory infection, exacerbation of COPD or cardiac decompensation.

Symptoms of respiratory syncytial virus infection most often appear between 2 and 8 days after contamination. The most common are:

• cough ;
• sneezing;
• expiratory wheeze;
• runny nose ;
• fever ;
• loss of appetite and energy

The most serious cases can lead to hospitalization and even death.