RSVpreF vaccine found effective in preventing severe RSV in older adults

by Elana Gotkine

RSVpreF vaccine effective in preventing severe RSV in older adults

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F (RSVpreF) vaccination is effective against RSV-related lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) among adults aged 60 years or older, according to a study published online Dec. 13 in JAMA Network Open.

Sara Y. Tartof, Ph.D., M.P.H., from Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena, and colleagues estimated RSVpreF vaccine effectiveness in older adults in a retrospective case-control study. Cases were adults aged 60 years or older (mean age, 76.8 years) with hospitalizations or emergency department visits for LRTD from Nov. 24, 2023, to April 9, 2024, who had respiratory swabs collected and tested for RSV.

The study included 7,047 LRTD-related hospitalizations or emergency department encounters with RSV testing results. Overall, 14.2 percent were immunocompromised and 93.3 percent had one or more Charlson comorbidity. The estimated adjusted vaccine effectiveness was 91 percent using a strict control definition that included RSV-negative LRTD events that were negative for human metapneumovirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and influenza and positive for a non-vaccine-preventable cause. Estimated adjusted vaccine effectiveness was 90 percent using a broad control definition, including all RSV-negative LRTD events.

“Based on our study results and RSV incidence in older adults, for approximately every 250 persons vaccinated, one RSV-related emergency department or hospitalization encounter could be prevented in the first season after vaccination,” the authors write. “These data suggest use of RSVpreF in older adults, providing an opportunity to reduce severe medically attended RSV disease burden.”

Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, which manufactures the RSVpreF vaccine and funded the study.

More information: Sara Y. Tartof et al, Estimated Vaccine Effectiveness for Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Related Lower Respiratory Tract Disease, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.50832

Journal information:JAMA Network Open

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