UK drug manufacturer GSK plc have taken big steps in developing a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a virus common in children which can cause bronchitis and pneumonia. RSV presents as cold and flu-like symptoms in adults but can be deadly to the very old and young, exacerbating existing conditions such as asthma and COPD and causing around 360,000 hospitalisations and 24,000 deaths in developed counties per year.
“RSV remains one of the few major infectious diseases without a vaccine, and these data have the potential to meaningfully impact the treatment” – Hal Barron, head of research at GSK.
The vaccine has so far passed all safety and development hurdles and has shown high efficacy in adults over 60 for both A and B strains. Briefly, the vaccine contains a recombinant glycoprotein “F” in combination with a commonly used GSK adjuvant, AS01. GSK has said they expect to file with regulators in the second half of 2022, meanwhile the company continues with international phase 3 vaccine trials.
A RSV vaccine has eluded scientists for decades, other companies such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have also pursued a vaccine for RSV. GSK plans to present the results of their trials in a peer-reviewed publication.
Read about the vaccine development here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-10/gsk-shot-targeting-respiratory-virus-delivers-positive-results
