The 1st RSV vaccine 'Arexvy' available at general hospitals

Officially launched in May…vaccination in South Korea is expected to increase

Demonstrated to reduce the risk of Severe RSV-LRTD by 91%

Product photo of Arexvy

The RSV vaccine 'Arexvy' is becoming available for prescription at general hospitals.

 

According to industry sources, GSK Korea's Arexvy, a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, has passed the drug committees (DC) of tertiary general hospitals, including Seoul National University Hospital and Asan Medical Center in Seoul, and medical institutes, including Konkuk University Hospital, Konyang University Hospital, Kyungpook University Hospital, Korea University Anam Hospital, and Hanyang University Hospital.

 

Additionally, Arexvy is available for vaccination nationwide in over 1,800 medical institutes, including private clinics.

 

Arexvy, which is the first RSV vaccine, was approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) at the end of December 2024 for the 'Prevention of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by RSB in adults over 60 years of age and older.' The efficacy of Arexvy was demonstrated based on results from two Phase 3 studies, 'RSV OA=ADJ-006' and 'RSV OA=ADJ-004,' involving adults 60 years of age and older.

 

The study results showed that during the first RSV season, Arexvy significantly lowered the RSV-LRTD risk by 82.6% and severe RSV-LRTD risk by 94.1% in participants 60 years of age and older compared to placebo.

 

Furthermore, the efficacy of the vaccine regarding RSV-A-associated LRTD increases and RSV-B-associated LRTD increases were 84.6% and 80.9%, respectively.

 

The transmissibility of RSV is comparable to that of influenza, with one infected person capable of infecting three others during the epidemic season (October to March).

 

The transmission rate of RSV infection within families is particularly high, with the rate of secondary infection occurring from the first infected family member to other household members in the same space ranging from 11.6% to 39.3%.

 

When adults aged 60 and over are infected with RSV, they face a high risk of developing severe complications such as pneumonia.

 

In the United States, an estimated 177,000 adults aged 65 and older are hospitalized annually due to RSV infection, and approximately 14,000 die.

 

About 80% of adults aged 60 and older hospitalized with RSV infection experience severe progression to the extent of needing oxygen supplementation.

 

Lee Jae-gab, Professor of Infectious Diseases at Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, said, "Arexvy showed a vaccine efficacy of 94.6% against LRTD in adults with one or more comorbidities.

 

This is noteworthy data, considering that 84% of adults aged 65 and older in Korea have one or more chronic diseases."