It has been 44 years since work toward a viable vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus began. But, after the inaugural roll-out of an RSV vaccine for older adults and a maternal vaccine to protect infants during the 2023-2024 viral season, new research and data have emerged.
Here are five updates on the safety and efficacy of RSV vaccines:
- The CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting system revealed 37 preliminary reports of adverse effects from RSV vaccines, 23 of which were verified by medical records. Pfizer's Abrysvo vaccine was linked to 15 of those reports, and GSK's Arexvy vaccination was linked to eight.
- There were around three more cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome than anticipated per 1 million doses of Abrysvo, Thomas Shimabukuro, MD, the director of the CDC's Immunization Safety Office said during a Feb. 29 briefing.
- In January, the CDC stated that 25 infants under 8 months old and 128 pregnant women received the incorrect RSV vaccines.
- Data published Feb. 29 by Pfizer revealed that its vaccine Abrysvo protected seniors effectively for a second season after vaccination in a clinical trial.
- For each 1 million doses of RSV vaccines given to adults over 65 years old, the vaccines help prevent an estimated 25,000 outpatient visits, 2,500 hospitalizations and around 130 deaths, The New York Times reported.