Aug 25 – Pfizer Inc said Thursday that its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine (RSV) was effective among older adults in a late-stage study, with plans to apply for US health regulator approval in the coming months.
There are no licensed vaccines in the United States for RSV, a common virus that often causes mild cold-like symptoms, but can be deadly for young children and older adults. It is estimated that the RSV It causes about 14,000 deaths annually among older adults in the United States.
Pfizer’s vaccine was 85.7% effective among participants with three or more symptoms and 66.7% effective for two or more symptoms, according to an interim analysis by an external data control panel.
The vaccine, RSVpreF, was also well tolerated with no safety concerns in the study.
Pfizer’s vaccine is designed to target two strains of the respiratory virus. So far, the company has enrolled some 37,000 participants aged 60 and older in its global late-stage study of the vaccine.
Its rival, Moderna, also began an advanced-stage study of its vaccine in February. RNA messenger against RSV.
Pfizer said it also plans to prepare vaccine approval submissions to other regulatory authorities in the coming months.
