CDC Advisers Approve RSV Vaccines for Seniors, Offer New Prevention Option

After receiving a favorable decision from a panel of advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, the first immunizations to protect against the respiratory virus RSV may soon be accessible to older adults or those 60 and older.

Their vote came after the FDA approved GSK's Arexvy and Pfizer's Abrysvo as vaccines. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met for three days, as reported by CBS News.

RSV Vaccines for Older Adults

(Photo : by SEM VAN DER WAL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
An employee of GGD Haaglanden vaccinates an elderly woman with a booster shot against Covid-19 in Zoetermeer, on September 19, 2022. - The new vaccination is offered because the government is taking into account a new wave of corona infections in the autumn, giving priority to people who work in healthcare and people with a higher risk of becoming seriously ill

Although the votes of the CDC panel ultimately determine federal rules on insurance coverage of vaccinations, doctors and vaccine manufacturers are not obligated to abide by the panel's recommendations.

The new recommendations fall short of strongly urging all older persons eligible to get the shots. The panel advocated for "shared clinical decision-making" between doctors and patients to determine if the individual advantages outweigh the dangers.

Compared to their oldest counterparts, seniors in their early 60s are less likely to get severe RSV disease. RSV is an acronym for respiratory syncytial virus. The ratio of advantages to dangers has shifted due to sporadic reports of serious "inflammatory neurologic events" in immunization studies.

Because the potential adverse effects are so uncommon, it won't be feasible to determine if they are "just random chance" until studies are conducted after the shots are widely distributed. Extensive databases of health records from vaccine recipients are examined.

The panel received assurances from CDC representatives that they will closely monitor data from their vaccine safety systems regarding introducing the two new RSV vaccinations. The future timing of seniors receiving a booster dose of the RSV vaccine is still being researched by vaccine manufacturers. Additionally, they have yet to decide on a final price, which makes more general recommendations difficult.

Given fresh information suggesting the vaccination could protect for at least two RSV seasons, GSK stated its vaccine could cost between $200 and $295 per dosage, higher than they previously advised the committee. According to Pfizer, their doses might cost anywhere from $180 to $270.

RSV Vaccine's Prices Raise Concern

Some panel members expressed concern that, at increased costs, the shots might not be "a reasonable and efficient allocation of resources,", particularly for the youngest of those permitted to receive the doses.

During the discussion, the idea of delaying the vote until all drugmakers had agreed to their final prices was raised. The best chance of saving lives with RSV vaccines is if they are administered before infection rates rise, which was exceptionally early last year.

Later this year, the FDA is anticipated to decide on a new approval of the initial RSV newborn protection choices. The ACIP is getting ready to vote on those issues as well.