A vaccine from Pfizer showed the potential to protect adults ages 18 to 59 who are at increased risk of getting severely sick from respiratory syncytial virus in a late stage clinical trial, the company said Tuesday.
The initial data suggests that Pfizer’s shot, known as Abrysvo, could help protect a far wider population from RSV. The jab is currently approved in the U.S., Europe, Japan and other countries for adults ages 60 and older and expectant mothers who can pass on protection to their fetuses.
But there are no RSV shots approved worldwide for younger, high-risk adults.
RSV causes thousands of hospitalizations and deaths among older Americans and hundreds among infants each year. The virus can also cause severe illness in younger adults with weakened immune systems or underlying chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes.
Nearly 10% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 49 have a chronic condition that puts them at risk of severe RSV disease, according to Pfizer. That number rises to around 24% for those aged 50 to 64.
“I think about my own family and my friends who have asthma or were carrying conditions from childhood,” Dr. Iona Munjal, Pfizer’s executive director of clinical vaccine research and development, told CNBC. “That population is at risk of getting RSV every single winter … over and over again. There’s no durable immunity without vaccination.”
