U.S. authorizes second bronchiolitis vaccine

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday authorized a second vaccine, developed by the laboratory Pfizer, against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), responsible for bronchiolitis, a month after approving the first.

In early May, the FDA had already authorized the Arexvy vaccine from the British laboratory GSK, a world first. Both the Arexvy and Pfizer's Abrysvo are reserved for the elderly.

Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading authority on public health in the United States, are scheduled to meet on June 21 to define recommendations for the use of RSV vaccines in the elderly.

Another vaccine planned for pregnant women

Subject to the outcome of this meeting, Pfizer expects to market its Abrysvo vaccine in the third quarter, before the fall, which traditionally marks the beginning of a seasonal resurgence of bronchiolitis cases.

Pfizer has also requested approval of a vaccine for pregnant women, which should allow the immunization of young children. A panel of independent experts recommended in mid-May that the FDA approve the vaccine, but the agency has yet to make a decision.

RSV is a widespread and contagious virus, best known for causing bronchiolitis (infection of the small bronchi) in young children during the winter. It also affects adults and can be dangerous for the elderly when it degenerates into a respiratory infection (bronchiolitis or pneumonia).

According to U.S. health authorities, this virus causes the deaths of between 6,000 and 10,000 people aged 65 and older in the United States each year, and between 60,000 and 160,000 hospitalizations. It is also responsible for hospitalizing 58,000 to 80,000 children under the age of five each year, according to the CDC.