The FDA approved GSK’s Arexvy on May 3, 2023, making it the first vaccine to prevent lower respiratory illnesses caused by RSV in adults aged 60 and older. The approval, which was based on the landmark phase 3 clinical trial AReSVi-006 (NCT04886596), allows for the first time older people to be protected from the virus.
“Today marks a turning point in our efforts to reduce the significant burden of RSV,” Tony Wood, chief scientific officer at GSK, said in a statement at the time of the approval.1 “Arexvy is the first RSV vaccine approved for older adults, expanding GSK’s industry-leading vaccine portfolio, which protects millions of people against infectious diseases each year. Our focus now is on ensuring eligible seniors in the United States can access the vaccine as quickly as possible and advancing regulatory review in other countries.
Drug Topics spoke with Marc Ost, co-owner of Eric’s RX Shoppe, about the new RSV vaccine. The community pharmacy, located in Horsham, Pennsylvania, was one of the first to receive and administer the vaccine.
Drug Topics: Can you discuss the significance of this vaccine being the first approved by the FDA to prevent lower respiratory illnesses caused by RSV in older adults?
Marc Ost: I think the most important thing this vaccine does is provide a solution for people at risk of contracting RSV. For now, it’s only for seniors, but we hope that eventually people will be able to get it during pregnancy to protect their newborns. This is a preventative measure that hopefully enough people will take to help treat a condition for which there isn’t really a treatment available.
Drug Topics: RSV is well known among health care providers, but it is not really known to the general public. What should people know about him?
Marc Ost: For me personally, I have always associated it with children. My son had RSV when he was less than a year old, and it’s scary. This is something for which there is no real treatment. In our pharmacy we deal with a lot of the long term care population, you hear about RSV and it spreads very quickly. It’s dangerous how quickly this is spreading. For a healthy middle-aged person, it’s a cold. But for someone who is at risk or has comorbidities, it could be much more serious…for those who are at risk, we want to do everything we can to help them fight the virus if they contract it.
Drug Topics: How much does the RSV vaccine cost and is it covered by insurance?
Marc Ost: The cost is approximately $300 to $315, including administration. We’re working with GSK, we’re working with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, we’re working with all parties to get the vaccine covered. Because it’s so new, it takes a little while for insurance companies to put it on the form and add it. It is a vaccine recommended by the ACIP. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare Part D is mandated to cover it.
Our current policy is that anyone with Medicare Part D that we are contracted with, we will give them a vaccine for free and then we will determine reimbursement once they are covered. We don’t know whether or not commercial insurers will cover it or whether they will allow pharmacies to do so. It’s just a waiting process.
Drug Topics: Vaccine hesitancy has become a major topic. What would you say to a patient who may be hesitant about receiving the new RSV vaccine?
Marc Ost: Talk with your healthcare professional. It’s always a discussion about risks or benefits. We really need to see who the vaccine is approved for. “Why should I get it?” This is a question you should ask, and healthcare providers or pharmacists should have the answer. They should be able to tell you, “This is why I recommend you get it.” »
I think one of the biggest reasons for vaccine hesitancy in recent years is the COVID-19 vaccine. Many people received the COVID vaccine and then got covid, not realizing that the vaccine was not designed to prevent you from testing positive. The vaccine was designed to keep you from going to the hospital or dying. So I think having that understanding and having clear information makes a big difference. And also increased trust between the patient, the healthcare provider and the technology or vaccine.
Drug Topics: Is there anything else important about the RSV vaccine that you wanted to discuss?
Marc Ost: I think what you’re going to find, as with other vaccines, is that pharmacies are probably going to be the best place to get this vaccine. It’s expensive and we’re finding that many providers don’t want to store the vaccine. They don’t want money sitting in the fridge. As pharmacies, especially community pharmacies, we are very agile. We will make it as accommodating as possible for patients. We will hold clinics in churches, synagogues and businesses. We also hold many clinics in long-term care centers.
In community pharmacies, we know our patients. There is a trust factor. My business partner, Eric, one of the biggest things we’ve seen with the COVID vaccine, and even with this vaccine, is, “Did you get it?” Would you like to give it to your mother? And that’s a question they’ll always ask him. Because he has trust in the community, because he’s been there and taken care of patients and built those relationships, there’s a certain level of trust. They take what he says seriously and it means something. It’s not just the pharmacist who gives it, it’s someone they know and trust.
