Question from Ms. LASSARADE Florence (Gironde – Les Républicains) published on 03/10/2024
Ms. Florence Lassarade draws the attention of the Minister of Health and Access to Care to the vaccination of people over 65 years of age against the human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is responsible for acute respiratory infections (ARI) in adults which can lead to serious complications or even death. It is estimated that there are 20,000 to 25,000 hospitalizations each year in France and 2,000 deaths linked to severe RSV infection in people over 65 years old.
Several vaccines have demonstrated their effectiveness in preventing infections linked to RSV and have benefited from marketing authorization since June 2023 by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading medical journal, covering 25,000 subjects, shows that the vaccine has a significant effectiveness of 83% on infections and 94% on severe forms of pneumonia, with a excellent tolerance. This vaccine is available in France for a cost of 200 euros, but it is not yet covered by health insurance, even for the most fragile patients, such as those with respiratory failure or immunocompromised people. Given the consequences that these potentially serious infections represent in terms of human and economic costs, she would like to know whether the Government plans to ensure that this vaccination is covered by health insurance from the fall of 2024 in order to allow people over 65 years old to be protected and to protect others.
Published in the OJ Senate of 03/10/2024 – page 3588
