2024-07-05 01:44:00
Faced with the risks of bronchiolitis for the elderly, the High Health Authority recommends on Thursday 4 July to vaccinate the oldest French people with one or the other of the two vaccines available against the main virus causes this infection.
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Well known as the leading cause of bronchiolitis in infants, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause serious complications, including death, in the elderly.
There has been no treatment for RSV respiratory infections until now, but two vaccines have recently received marketing authorization (MA) for seniors: Arexvy (GSK) and Abrysvo (Pfizer).
After evaluation, the HAS “She recommends vaccination, with one or other of these vaccines, for people aged 75 and over, as well as people aged 65 and over with chronic respiratory or cardiac pathology “according to a press release.
If the Minister of Health – in the present or in the future – follows the recommendation of the HAS, as usual, these vaccines could be covered by health insurance. They are those who are 75 years old and older “particularly vulnerable” to address RSV, explained the health authority.
In France, during the 2022-2023 winter season, this category accounted for 61% of hospitalizations and 78% of RSV-related deaths. And studies in the United Kingdom and the United States have shown the importance of this virus as a cause of morbidity and mortality among those aged 75 years and older, independently of risk factors, the authority said health.
For people aged 65 years and older, vaccination is recommended only for those with chronic respiratory pathology (especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD) or chronic cardiac pathologies (especially heart failure), “likely to worsen during RSV infection”.
The HAS took into account the efficacy data of the two vaccines on lower respiratory tract infections among people aged 60 years and older, particularly “showed an 83% reduction in these infections for Arexvy and 67 to 86% for Abrysvo depending on the criterion used (2 or 3 symptoms). It was also based on available safety and tolerance data.
The HAS will re-evaluate its recommendation when certain data have been consolidated, regarding the real-world effectiveness of these vaccines on hospitalizations and deaths attributable to RSV infections, the potential benefit in other populations, especially in immunocompromised patients, and medication surveillance.
Several dozen doctors, at the end of last September, called for this vaccination to be made available quickly.
To criticize the slow evaluation of certain vaccines, the same against RSV infection in the elderly, the HAS opposed the necessary delays for its strict recommendations.
AFP/VNA/CVN
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