FDA approves RSV vaccine; what now?

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first-ever RSV vaccine for adults 60 years and older.

Arexvy is a recumbent vaccine. Director of the Division of Immunization at Virginia Department of Health Christy Gray explained that recumbent vaccines use inactive particles of the virus to will help the body grow immune to it.

Now that the vaccine was approved by the FDA, it will now go into the second phase of approval.

”Now the CDC [Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices] ACIP looks at the information and decides who should get the vaccine, when, how often, what considerations, more of that clinical guidance,” Gray said.

According to Gray, ACIP is scheduled to meet on this matter in June. More details about the vaccine’s availability will emerge after the meeting.

As for Virginia, she said in the last month, the state is seeing an average of 15 RSV cases per week among all age groups. This is opposed to the 1,000 cases per week she said were recorded during the peak of RSV in October 2022.

Gray said as they prepare for this upcoming RSV season, she is excited to have an extra “tool in the toolbox” to help patients fight the virus.

She also mentioned vaccines for other age groups in the works.

Previous coverage:

FDA advisers give green light for RSV vaccine approval; why this is important for older adults

COVID, Flu and RSV cases are trending downward across the U.S.: What about Virginia?

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