GSK's respiratory syncytial virus vaccine approved in M'sia

GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical Sdn Bhd (GSK) today announced that the Arexvy vaccine (MAL24086007ARZ) has been approved in Malaysia for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

RSV is a common respiratory virus that can lead to serious negative clinical outcomes, such as lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) and pneumonia in older adults.

Professor Dr Ahmad Izuanuddin Ismail, the deputy director, consultant and respiratory physician at Hospital Al Sultan Abdullah Universiti Teknologi Mara, said RSV could lead to moderate to severe outcomes, especially among seniors with underlying health conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure.

“Prevention is key for RSV infection as there is currently no treatment. However, we have a good vaccine at GSK, especially for older adults with co-morbidities, to prevent infection.

“The important point is we need to protect our older generation, especially our parents and so on, to prevent further complication as any complication, especially for those with co-morbidities, may result in a risk of hospitalisation following the RSV infection,” he said.

GSK Malaysia and Brunei country medical director Dr Alap Gandhi said the GSK’s combination of RSV antigen and adjuvant is designed to induce a robust immune response to help protect older adults and those with comorbidities.

“The adjuvanted RSV vaccine has been approved in 50 countries, launched in Malaysia one year after the launch in the United States, and the vaccine showed 82.6 percent overall vaccine efficacy against RSV-LRTD, with 94.6 percent efficacy observed in adults with comorbidities.

“Our goal with the vaccine is to help more Malaysians, particularly older adults, live healthy lives,” he said, adding that the vaccine will be available from next month onwards.

He said the adjuvanted RSV vaccine has been approved for older adults aged 60 and above in the country, and it can transform efforts to reduce RSV’s burden on older adults, the healthcare system and society.

Meanwhile, GSK Malaysia & Brunei vice-president and general manager Ruxandra Nastasa said today's announcement is GSK's commitment to innovation and getting ahead of diseases.

“For us, this means not only to treat but also to prevent diseases. It means that we are working together to make sure that patients and doctors are aware of the products, we work together so that patients can benefit from it.

“At GSK, we believe that prevention is the most beneficial intervention that we can have for patients and healthcare systems... For the RSV vaccine, with our joint effort, has the potential to not only improve the life of the patient but also prevent a lot of suffering and save lives,” she said.

Whilst RSV is a disease of all ages, in 2019, the impact of RSV in adults aged 60 years and older was significant, resulting in over 470,000 hospitalisations and 33,000 deaths in high-income countries.

- Bernama

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