Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus received backing from a panel of US advisers for use in people 60 and older, pushing the company to the forefront once again for immunization against a dangerous respiratory illness.
Members of the panel that advises the Food and Drug Administration voted 7-4 with one abstention to recommend the vaccine as both safe and effective in preventing RSV. Still, several who endorsed the shots also raised concerns about the lack of data on hospitalizations and the highest-risk patients, as well as two incidents of a rare disorder among those who were vaccinated.
