New recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call for the use of respiratory syncytial virus vaccines in adults aged 75 and older, but limited its use in 60- to 74-year-olds.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday updated its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine guidelines, which now recommend the shots in all seniors aged 75 and older and in those 60 to 74 years of age who are at risk of severe disease.
The new recommendations apply to older adults who were not immunized last year, according to the CDC. The revised guidance replaces prior standards that endorsed the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines for all adults aged 60 and older, which were primarily meant to “simplify … decision-making” for doctors and their patients.
Following the initial roll-out of immunization last year—and the first-ever real-world data from the vaccine-eligible population—the CDC changed its vaccination guidelines to more closely reflect the burden of RSV in people 60 years and above and the cost-effectiveness of the vaccines.
CDC Director Mandy Cohen in a statement said that the revised recommendations are meant to “prioritize those at highest risk for serious illness from RSV.”
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday also deferred the vote on whether it would endorse the use of RSV vaccines in younger seniors aged 50 to 59 years, which RSV frontrunner GSK was hoping to target.
The pharma’s vaccine Arexvy became the industry’s first FDA-approved RSV shot in May 2023, beating its main competitor—Pfizer’s Abrysvo—by a month. This head start proved enough time for GSK to capture most of the market, with its CEO Emma Walmsley announcing in December 2023 that Arexvy was on track to make more than £1 billion in sales in its first commercial year.
GSK reported in November 2023 that Arexvy captured around two-thirds of the market in its first full commercial quarter, bringing in nearly $859 million in sales. By comparison, Abrysvo generated $375 million in its first quarter. The same month, Pfizer CFO David Denton admitted in a conference that the pharma was “disappointed” by Abrysvo’s performance, as reported by Reuters.
To secure more patients and sales, Pfizer has pushed for a pediatric indication for Abrysvo. The FDA granted it approval in August 2023, allowing pregnant mothers to get immunized with the vaccine at 32 to 36 weeks of gestation. Meanwhile, GSK’s strategy for expansion has been to broaden Arexvy’s adult population. Earlier this month, the regulator allowed the use of Arexvy in adults aged 50 to 59 years.
Trailing GSK and Pfizer is Moderna, which is developing an mRNA-based RSV vaccine called mRESVIA. On Wednesday, the biotech announced that the vaccine candidate had a 50% efficacy at preventing RSV infection after 18 months, putting it well below Abrysvo and Arexvy, according to Reuters.
Tristan Manalac is an independent science writer based in Metro Manila, Philippines. Reach out to him on LinkedIn or email him at tristan@tristanmanalac.com or tristan.manalac@biospace.com.
