Panel OKs 1st RSV Vaccine in Japan
15:43 JST, August 29, 2023
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A health ministry panel Monday agreed to approve a vaccine developed by GSK PLC to protect people from the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
If the British pharmaceutical firm’s vaccine is formally approved, it will be the first for RSV available in Japan.
People eligible for the vaccination will be those aged 60 or older.
The main symptoms of RSV are fever and runny nose. RSV can cause pneumonia and bronchitis in infants and elderly people with underlying conditions.
The virus can be transmitted through contact or droplets, but there is no specific treatment for it.
The number of RSV infection cases in Japan grew briefly around May, when the country downgraded COVID-19 to a lower-risk category of infectious diseases. GSK said the vaccine was 82.6% effective in clinical trials with people aged 60 and older.
U.S. rival Pfizer Inc. has also filed for Japanese regulatory approval of an RSV vaccine.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Typhoon Kong-rey to Reach South of Japan’s Okinawa on Thursday; JWA Urges High Alert for Strong Winds, Heavy Rain
-
Typhoon Trami Forms East of Philippines, Moving Westward
-
‘Women Over 30 Would Have Uteruses Removed’; Remarks of CPJ Leader, Novelist Naoki Hyakuta Get Wide Attention
-
Typhoon Kong-rey Expected to Turn into Tropical Storm after Possible Pass Over Taiwan
-
Sapporo Sees Season’s 1st Snowfall; Snow Comes 8 Days Earlier Than Average
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Streaming Services Boost Anime Popularity Overseas; Former ‘Geeky’ Interest More Beloved Among Gen Z than 3 Major U.S. Sports
- G20 Sees Soft Landing for Global Economy; Leaders Pledge to Resist Protectionism as Trump Calls for Imported Goods Flat Tariff
- 2024 POLLS: Ruling Camp Likely to Win Lower House Majority
- Chinese Rights Lawyer’s Wife Seeks Support in Japan; Sophie Luo Calls for Beijing to Free Ding Jiaxi, Xu Zhiyong
- Chinese Social Media Still Full of Anti-Japanese Posts 1 Month After Boy’s Fatal Stabbing; Malicious Videos Gain Large Number of Views