EMA OKs Seven New Drugs Including First RSV Vaccine For Older Adults

GSK’s Arexvy vaccine for preventing lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus in adults aged 60 years and older is among the latest products that the European Medicines Agency said should be approved for use in the EU.

RSV virus
The first respiratory syncytial virus vaccine for older adults could be approved in the EU soon • Source: Shutterstock

Arexvy (recombinant, adjuvanted), from GSK, has moved closer to becoming the first vaccine authorized to help protect older adults from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease, after the European Medicines Agency recommended that the product be approved for marketing across the EU.

More from Europe

Industry Highlights Issues With EU HTA Regulation’s PICO Framework For Vaccines

 

Vaccine developers should be aware that the framework underpinning the new EU Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Regulation might not be suitable for immunizations, but actions from policymakers and industry could help mitigate some issues, a senior figure from GSK says.

EU HTA Regulation: Don’t Forget About Vaccines, Industry Warns

 

Europe’s vaccines industry wants to make sure immunizations “are not forgotten” by policymakers who are overseeing the EU Health Technology Assessment Regulation. It has highlighted several nuances of vaccines that should be addressed over the coming years.

EU Pharmacopoeia Adopts ‘Groundbreaking’ Cell Therapy Chapter, Seeks Feedback On Alternative Microbiological Tests

 

A new chapter that will be published in the European Pharmacopoeia soon is expected to provide a comprehensive framework for the production and quality control of cell-based preparations. Meanwhile, an existing chapter has been revised to facilitate the implementation of rapid microbiological testing methods.

New EU Approvals

 

The Pink Sheet's list of EU centralized approvals of new active substances has been updated to include four new products, one of which is Tivdak, Pfizer/Genmab’s treatment for previously treated recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.

More from Geography

Pulling Together: Global Regulators Discuss Convergence On Biosimilars

 
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While the biosimilars industry has welcomed individual pockets of progress around regulatory streamlining, it is essential that approaches from global authorities move forward together if they are to have a meaningful impact on biosimilar development. At Medicines for Europe’s annual biosimilars conference, regulators from around the world talked about how their thinking is converging.

Chikungunya At US CDC: Bavarian Nordic’s Vimkunya Recommended, Valneva’s Ixchiq Adjusted

 

Bavarian Nordic's Vimkunya added the US CDC immunization committee's recommendation to its FDA approval, while Valneva's Ixchiq faces a precaution for use in people aged 65 and older.

US FDA Commissioner Makary Wants To Combine Adverse Event Reporting Systems

 

In discussing FDA’s adverse event monitoring, Makary also seemed to falsely imply the agency did not fully investigate the myocarditis signal with COVID-19 vaccines.