Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, poses a significant threat to newborns, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals, but it may finally have a solution.1 The FDA authorized two RSV vaccinations for older people in May 2023, and the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends them for those over 60.1 Pfizer and GSK were the two pharmaceutical companies that took the lead in generating vaccines following Graham and McLellan's discovery of the structure of the F protein, which is a glycoprotein on the surface of the RSV virion that causes the virion membrane to fuse with a target cell membrane.2-3 In individuals 60 and older, GSK claims the vaccination is 94% effective against severe illness and 83% effective against symptomatic disease.2 In individuals 60 and older, Pfizer's vaccination is 86% effective against severe illness with at least three symptoms and 67% effective against symptomatic disease with at least two symptoms.2 On May 18, the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended FDA clearance for Pfizer's RSV vaccine to be administered during pregnancy to protect infants.2