[ad_1]
Respiratory syncytial virus vial.
Mangorol | istock | Getty Images
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended That adults age 60 or older receive one dose of RSV vaccine Pfizer And GSK after consulting their doctors.
Outgoing CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signed off on the recommendation, which was made by an advisory panel of outside experts last week. that endorsement says Older people have to work with them Healthcare providers decide if having the shot is right for them.
The CDC said vaccines are expected to be available to the public this fall, when respiratory syncytial virus — along with Covid and influenza — usually begins circulating at higher levels.
“These vaccines provide an opportunity to help protect older adults from severe RSV disease at a time when multiple respiratory infections are likely to spread,” the CDC said in a statement.
The virus is a common respiratory infection that usually causes mild cold-like symptoms, but causes more severe cases in the elderly and children. Every year RSV Kill From 6,000 to 10,000 seniors and a few hundred children under the age of 5, according to CDC data.
Walensky’s decision comes a month after the US Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccines, making them the world’s first licensed vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus.
Spokespeople for Pfizer and GSK did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Both companies last week disclosed late-stage clinical data indicating that their respective vaccines generally maintain protection against RSV after one season of the virus, which typically lasts in the United States from October to March.
But the committee raised concerns about the lack of efficacy data on subgroups of the elderly population at high risk of RSV infection.
Adults age 75 and older with an underlying medical condition are underrepresented in stage 3, Dr. Michael Melgar, the CDC medical officer who evaluated the data on both shots, told the advisory committee meeting. Clinical trials from both companies.
He said that elderly people with weakened immune systems were excluded from the trials altogether.
Both companies said studies on this population are ongoing.
The CDC has also raised concerns about the price of the footage, which could limit its accessibility to some Americans.
GSK said it would price its vaccine between $200 and $295. Pfizer said it will price it between $180 and $270.
The companies refused to guarantee pricing.
Pfizer has also developed a vaccine to protect newborns from RSV.
An FDA advisory panel last month endorsed that shot, but raised safety concerns about premature births that might be related to the shot. The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to make a final decision on this vaccine in August.
[ad_2]
