Recent findings from a multi-state study reveal that the RSV vaccine is approximately 80% effective in preventing severe respiratory illnesses in adults over 60, significantly reducing hospitalizations and deaths.
The research, which underscores the vaccine’s efficacy during its first U.S. season, suggests substantial health system savings by decreasing RSV-related hospitalizations.
RSV Vaccine Effectiveness
A multi-state study published on October 19 in The Lancet is one of the first real-world analyses of the RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine’s effectiveness. Researchers from the VISION Network found that the vaccine was highly effective in protecting older adults, including those with compromised immune systems, during the 2023-24 respiratory season. This was the first season after the RSV vaccine’s approval in the U.S.
The study showed that RSV vaccination provided about 80% protection against severe illness, hospitalization, ICU admission, and death due to respiratory infections. It offered similar protection against less severe cases in adults aged 60 and older who visited the emergency room but didn’t require hospitalization. Of this population, those ages 75 and older, were at the highest risk of severe disease and were the most likely to be hospitalized.
Collaborative Research Insights
The study was a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and healthcare systems and research centers across the U.S. These centers, which are part of the CDC’s VISION Network, have integrated medical, laboratory, and vaccination records, allowing for comprehensive data analysis.
“Unlike this data study, clinical trials for the RSV vaccine were underpowered to access the effectiveness of the vaccines against severe disease requiring hospitalization. Addressing this gap in evidence, we were able to use the power of big data to determine RSV vaccine effectiveness, information needed to inform vaccine policy,” said study co-author Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S. “As a data scientist and a family practice physician, I encourage older adults to follow CDC guidance and get vaccinated for RSV as we enter this year’s and every year’s respiratory disease season.” Dr. Grannis is vice president for data and analytics at Regenstrief Institute and a professor of family medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Seasonal Impact and Vaccine Benefits
In the U.S., respiratory disease season typically commences in late September or early October and continues through March or early April.
RSV affects the nose, throat and lungs, causing substantial illness and death among older adults during these seasonal epidemics. In years prior to the availability of an RSV vaccine, an estimated 60,000 to 160,000 RSV-associated hospitalizations and 6,000 to 10,000 RSV-associated deaths occurred annually among U.S. adults aged 65 years and older, according to the CDC.
Real-World Efficacy and Economic Impact
“No vaccine is 100 percent effective. An 80 percent vaccine effectiveness rate is quite impressive and higher than we see, for example, with the influenza vaccine,” said study co-author Brian Dixon, PhD, MPA. “The bottom line is that using real world data from electronic medical records routinely captured in care for people from diverse walks of life we found that having the vaccine was highly protective against hospitalization, severe illness and death.” Dr. Dixon is interim director and a research scientist with the Clem McDonald Center for Biomedical Informatics at Regenstrief Institute and a professor at the Indiana University Indianapolis Fairbanks School of Public Health.
Dr. Dixon added “Studies like this one are critical to understanding the effects of prevention techniques like vaccination. The annual cost of RSV hospitalization for adults in the U.S. is estimated to be between $1.2 and $5 billion. Preventing up to 80 percent of hospitalizations could result in major savings for consumers and the health system.”
Reference: “Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine effectiveness against RSV-associated hospitalisations and emergency department encounters among adults aged 60 years and older in the USA, October, 2023, to March, 2024: a test-negative design analysis” by Amanda B Payne, Janet A Watts, Patrick K Mitchell, Kristin Dascomb, Stephanie A Irving, Nicola P Klein, Shaun J Grannis, Toan C Ong, Sarah W Ball, Malini B DeSilva, Karthik Natarajan, Tamara Sheffield, Daniel Bride, Julie Arndorfer, Allison L Naleway, Padma Koppolu, Bruce Fireman, Ousseny Zerbo, Julius Timbol, Kristin Goddard, Brian E Dixon, William F Fadel, Colin Rogerson, Katie S Allen, Suchitra Rao, David Mayer, Michelle Barron, Sarah E Reese, Elizabeth A K Rowley, Morgan Najdowski, Allison Avrich Ciesla, Josephine Mak, Emily L Reeves, Omobosola O Akinsete, Charlene E McEvoy, Inih J Essien, Mark W Tenforde, Katherine E Fleming-Dutra and Ruth Link-Gelles, 19 October 2024, The Lancet.
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01738-0
VISION sites participating in the study were Permanente Northwest (Oregon and Washington), University of Colorado (Colorado), Intermountain Healthcare (Utah), Regenstrief Institute (Indiana), HealthPartners (Minnesota and Wisconsin), and Kaiser Permanente Northern California (California), representing 230 hospitals and 245 emergency departments. Regenstrief contributes data and scientific expertise to the VISION Network.
Regenstrief Institute authors of this VISION Network study, in addition to Drs. Grannis and Dixon, are Research Scientist Colin Rogerson, M.D., Affiliate Scientist William Fadel, PhD, and Research Staff Scientist Katie Allen. Dr. Rogerson is also a faculty member of the IU School of Medicine. Dr. Fadel is also a faculty member of IU Fairbanks School of Public Health.
About Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S.
In addition to his role as the vice president of data and analytics at Regenstrief Institute, Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S., is the Regenstrief Chair in Medical Informatics and a professor of family medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Brian E. Dixon, PhD, MPA
In addition to his role as the director of public health informatics at the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University Indianapolis Fairbanks School of Public Health, Brian E. Dixon, PhD, MPA, is the interim director and a research scientist with the Clem McDonald Center for Biomedical Informatics at the Regenstrief Institute and a professor of health management and policy at the Fairbanks School. He is also an affiliate scientist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Center for Health Information and Communication, Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center.