UK health regulator approves GSK's vaccine for common respiratory virus RSV

[July 10, 2023]  (Reuters) -Britain's health regulator approved GSK's vaccine for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes thousands of hospitalizations and deaths annually, the drugmaker said on Monday.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorized GSK's shot, called Arexvy, for active immunization to prevent lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in adults 60 years and older, the company said.

RSV typically causes cold-like symptoms but is a leading cause of pneumonia in toddlers and the elderly.

The complex molecular structure of the virus and safety concerns with previous vaccine attempts had stymied efforts to successfully develop a shot since the virus was first discovered in 1956.

GSK logo is displayed in this illustration taken January 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo/File Photo

Arexvy has recently got the green light from the United States and European regulators.

(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Dhanya Ann Thoppil)

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