Pfizer(*18*) company’s vaccine, which protects adults 60 and older against respiratory syncytial virus, was slightly less effective after 18 months, in accordance with clinical trial results the company announced Wednesday.
Data comes from Latest York-based Pfizer clinical trial on greater than 34,000 older adults over two seasons of RSV. (*18*) latest figures are specifically for Northern Hemisphere participants in the “second half of the season”. Lawsuitwhich is roughly 18 months after vaccination.
(*18*) injection was 78.6% effective for more severe lower respiratory illnesses with three or more symptoms in the second season, down slightly from 85.7% by the end of the first season. These symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, rapid and shallow respiratory, and mucus production.
Based on Pfizer, the vaccine was roughly 49% effective against the same condition with two or more symptoms by the second season. That is a steeper drop from 66.7% shooting success in a single season.
(*18*) vaccine was generally well tolerated, with participants reporting no opposed effects until mid-season two.
Pfizer presented the results advisory committee Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday. (*18*) committee will make a suggestion on how often the company’s RSV vaccine ought to be administered in the United States, similar to whether the vaccine ought to be on an annual schedule.
Counselors may also recommend an injection for a particular age group.
Pfizer’s RSV vaccine is the second vaccine to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration following an injection GlaxoSmithKlinewhich is able to present similar long-term data on Wednesday.
Pfizer’s results provide a primary glimpse at the durability of the vaccine in protecting against RSV, which causes mild cold-like symptoms in most individuals, but more serious infections in the elderly and kids.
(*18*) data suggest that the protection provided by the vaccine slowly wanes over time, much like the Covid and flu shots.
But the second-season data also suggests that Pfizer’s vaccine still generally protects against RSV after a yr.
It continues to be unclear how effective the vaccine can be over two full seasons. Pfizer expects to release those figures later this yr, which is able to provide a greater picture of the durability of the injection.
Annaliesa Anderson, Pfizer’s head of vaccine research and development, told CNBC that the company was “very encouraged” by data from a phase three clinical trial.
She noted that the vaccine remained highly effective against diseases of the lower respiratory tract with three or more symptoms which are more severe than the same condition with two or more symptoms.
“As with most vaccines, you are really seeking to impact more severe disease that ends in higher levels of mortality, morbidity and healthcare contact,” Anderson told CNBC. “(*18*) ability to take care of high efficacy could be very necessary to us, and we consider it will keep people comfortable while receiving the vaccine.”
Pfizer has not released data on the effectiveness of its vaccine against severe RSV disease, defined as a patient requiring hospitalization, oxygen support, or a mechanical ventilator.
Anderson said research is ongoing, as are studies evaluating the effectiveness of the injection in elderly individuals with weak immune systems.
Based on the CDC, RSV kills 6,000 to 10,000 elderly people and hospitalizes 60,000 to 160,000 of them every year.
(*18*) risk of hospitalization increases with age, with adults aged 70 and over being more in danger.
Pfizer estimates that if 50% of people aged 60 and over receive the vaccine for the elderly, the vaccine could prevent greater than 5,000 deaths, 68,000 hospitalizations, 51,000 emergency department visits and greater than 422,000 outpatient visits.