Green light for the vaccine against the bronchiolitis virus that kills thousands of people a year
The European Commission authorized the sale of the Arexvy vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), responsible for bronchiolitis that kills thousands of people every year, announced a statement from the British pharmaceutical giant GSK released this Wednesday in London.
The authorization concerns people over the age of 60, the GSK statement said.. The vaccine had already received a first marketing authorization on May 3, 2023 in the United States.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) was favorable last month to the authorization, but the final decision of the Commission had not yet arrived.
“This is the first time that an RSV vaccine has received marketing authorization in Europe,” GSK said.
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Vaccinations are scheduled to begin in the fall, he added.
Every year, the virus generates in Europe “more than 270,000 hospitalizations and around 20,000 deaths during hospitalization” in older people, said the pharmaceutical.
RSV is a highly widespread and contagious virus that usually causes mild cold-like symptoms.
But it can be serious for young children and adults, as well as for people with underlying medical conditions or weak immune systems.
In severe cases, it can cause pneumonia or bronchiolitis, inflammation in the small airways of the lungs.