Top Stories
UK health regulator approves GSK’s vaccine for common respiratory virus RSV
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
(Reuters) -Britain’s health regulator approved GSK’s vaccine for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes thousands of hospitalisations and deaths annually, the drugmaker said on Monday.
(Reuters) -Britain’s health regulator approved GSK’s vaccine for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes thousands of hospitalisations and deaths annually, the drugmaker said on Monday.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorised GSK’s shot, called Arexvy, for active immunisation 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.
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)
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common virus that causes respiratory infections, particularly in infants and the elderly. It can lead to serious illnesses such as pneumonia.
A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. It typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism.
Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs, which may fill with fluid or pus, causing cough, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing.
Explore more articles in the Top Stories category
