RSV vaccine 80% effective in protecting adults over 60, study finds

A major study published in The Lancet has demonstrated the high effectiveness of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine in older adults, including immunocompromised patients, during the 2023-24 trial period.

The vaccine provided approximately 80 per cent protection against severe illness, hospitalisation, intensive care admission and death from respiratory infection among adults aged 60 and above.

Similar protection levels were observed for less severe cases requiring emergency department visits without hospitalisation, with those aged 75 and over identified as being at the highest risk.

The research was conducted through collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and various US healthcare systems and research centres with comprehensive medical, laboratory and vaccination records.

“Clinical trials for the RSV vaccine weren’t sufficiently powered to evaluate vaccine effectiveness against severe illness requiring hospitalisation. By addressing this evidence gap, we were able to leverage larger data sources to determine RSV vaccine effectiveness”, said study co-author Dr Shaun Grannis, professor of family medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine.

RSV affects the nose, throat and lungs, causing severe infection and death among elderly adults during seasonal epidemics.

Before the vaccine’s availability in the US, the CDC estimated 60,000 to 160,000 RSV-related hospitalisations and 6,000 to 10,000 deaths occurred annually among adults aged 65 and over.

Dr Brian Dixon, interim director and researcher at the Regenstrief Institute’s Clem McDonald Center for Biomedical Informatics noted that while no vaccine is 100 per cent effective, the 80 per cent efficacy rate is “quite impressive” and exceeds that of the flu vaccine.

The study also highlighted potential cost benefits, with annual US adult RSV hospitalisation costs estimated between $1.2 billion and $5 billion. “Preventing up to 80 per cent of hospitalisations could lead to significant savings for consumers and the healthcare system”, Dixon added.