RSV vaccine approval is a shot in the arm for GlaxoSmithKline

An injection aimed at reducing thousands of deaths and hospitalizations among the elderly has been approved for use in the UK.

As a major boost to drug giant GSK and its boss Emma Walmsley, regulators have given the green light to the first respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for the over-60s.

The virus causes cold symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing and coughing in most, but can lead to pneumonia in toddlers, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

Each year it is responsible for 175,000 GP visits, 14,000 hospitalizations and 8,000 deaths in adults over 60 years of age.

The complex molecular structure of the virus and safety concerns have hindered efforts to develop a vaccine since the virus was first discovered in 1956.

But GSK’s jab, known as Arexvy, has been approved for use in older adults in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Arexvy has already been approved by US and European regulators.

The approvals boost GSK CEO Walmsley in her drive to strengthen the company’s drug pipeline.

The approval followed trials involving 25,000 participants that resulted in an 83 percent reduction in lung disease caused by RSV.

The vaccine was found to be 94.1 percent effective in stopping serious infections.

The researchers reported that “high vaccine efficacy was observed across age groups and in participants with coexisting conditions.”

Side effects from the jab were “transient, with mild to moderate severity,” the researchers wrote.

The most common side effects were headache, injection site pain, fatigue, or joint or muscle aches or pains.

Sir Andrew Pollard, Professor of Infection and Immunity in Children and Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, said: ‘There is a significant burden of RSV infection in older adults, adding to the seasonal winter pressure for the NHS.’