Canada Approves RSV Vaccine for Older Adults and Pregnant Women

Pfizer Canada announced the Health Canada approved its bivalent Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine ABRYSVO™ Vaccine.

ABRYSVO is indicated for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in individuals 60 years of age and older by active immunization, and the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease and severe lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in infants from birth through 6 months of age by active immunization of pregnant women.

"Vaccines are considered to be the most effective tool in public health for preventing illness and can help reduce the stress on our healthcare system and professionals, including nurses, doctors, and others on the frontline," said Dr. Darine El-Chaâr, Maternal Fetal Medicine physician at The Ottawa Hospital, in a press release on January 4, 2024. 

"Vaccines administered through maternal immunization can also help play a critical role in decreasing the gap of vulnerability in the first few months of an infant's life, as well as helping to protect their mothers, who may be at increased risk of severe disease compared with non-pregnant women."

RSV is a common respiratory virus that causes mild disease with cold-like symptoms in the fall and winter months.

In more vulnerable populations, like adults 60 and over, an RSV infection can be severe, especially among those with underlying respiratory or cardiac conditions.

For infants, RSV infection can result in respiratory distress, especially in those less than six months of age and those with higher risk factors such as congenital heart or lung disease or prematurity.

Pfizer Canada is currently assessing the availability timeline for ABRYSVO and is committed to bringing a supply of this vaccine to Canadians as quickly as possible.

As of January 5, 2024, RSV vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapy that deliver passive immunization to infants are approved for use in the United States.