January 18, 2023 – Moderna’s respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for older adults was 84% effective in stopping a minimum of two symptoms of disease and 82% effective in stopping a minimum of three symptoms, the corporate announced this week.
Safety data from Moderna’s Phase III trial for the vaccine, which uses mRNA technology, are also robust, the corporate said in a Press release.
Moderna will now seek regulatory approval from the FDA, joining two other pharmaceutical corporations which have already done so. (Last yr, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline accomplished their Phase III trials for RSV vaccines for older adults.)
“It is very exciting to see progress on RSV vaccines in older adults, and I think both vaccines [Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline] have also shown quite remarkable results,” said Moderna President Stephen Hoge Reuters“We really believe we are in the best class – 84% is a great efficacy figure.”
The RSV vaccine developed by Moderna is meant for adults ages 60 and older. The company said a few of its RSV vaccine technology may even be used for its COVID-19 vaccine.
Up to 120,000 older adults are hospitalized for RSV annually and as much as 10,000 die from RSV infection. CDC says. Common RSV symptoms include a runny nose, cough, and fever. But in older adults, especially those with heart or lung disease or weakened immune systems, the disease could cause greater than just cold symptoms and result in a lung infection or pneumonia.
RSV was amongst a trio of respiratory illnesses that reached record levels within the U.S. this fall. It is best generally known as a dangerous disease for infants and young children. Moderna said its pediatric RSV vaccine trials are underway.
According to Reuters, RSV vaccines could create a market value over $10 billion, including $5 billion within the United States alone.