GSK Ireland has announced that Arexvy (respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, recombinant adjuvanted), the first vaccine protecting older adults from lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is now available to older adults in Ireland. This is the first time an RSV vaccine has been available for use in Ireland.
GSK said, “RSV is a disease of all ages but the impact of RSV in adults aged 60 years and older is significant, resulting in approximately 274,000 hospitalisations and 20,000 deaths in European countries.
“Adults with underlying comorbidities, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, diabetes, and chronic heart failure (CHF) are at high risk for severe RSV disease.
“During the pivotal AReSVi-006 (Adult Respiratory Syncytial Virus) phase III trial, the vaccine demonstrated overall vaccine efficacy of 82.6% against RSV-lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD). 94.6% efficacy was observed against RSV-LRTD in adults with comorbidities.
“Across multiple studies, the vaccine had a clinically acceptable safety profile. The most frequently observed solicited adverse events were injection site pain, fatigue, myalgia, headache, and arthalgia. These adverse reactions were usually mild or moderate in intensity and resolved within a few days after vaccination.”