News & Trends - Pharmaceuticals
Government fails to commit to RSV vaccine program

Pharma News: There are mounting concerns that Australians at greatest risk of severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will miss out on protection against the rampant lung infection, with the Federal Government failing to commit to a national RSV vaccine program.
This is in stark contrast to other parts of the world where new RSV vaccines have been readily available. Many countries are currently preparing for the northern hemisphere winter with extensive immunisation programs in place, several for the second year.
The rejection of applications to fund RSV vaccines – Sanofi’s Beyfortus for infants and GSK’s Arexvy for seniors – comes amid protracted negotiations for an RSV vaccine for pregnant women – Pfizer’s Abrysvo – despite a funding recommendation by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). As a result, no RSV immunisation has been added to the National Immunisation Program (NIP), leaving vulnerable Australians at unnecessary and avoidable risk.

“Australia urgently needs a nationwide RSV immunisation program,” said Catherine Hughes AM, Founder and Director of the Immunisation Foundation of Australia.
“RSV is the number one cause of hospitalisation of Australian babies, with our littlest ones spending almost 33,000 days in hospital with the virus last year alone,” she said. “RSV is also a leading cause of severe illness and death in older Australians.
“For the first time, the Australian Government could help protect against severe RSV and keep thousands out of hospital,” she added.
Anne Harris, Managing Director for ANZ & Developed Asia at Pfizer, said in a recent interview with Health Industry Hub, “We have an absolute gap in healthcare expenditure being spent on public health and prevention. When you compare us to other advanced economies, we are sitting at 29 out of 36.”
During the 2022 election campaign, the Albanese Labor Government committed to implementing the National Preventative Health Strategy which calls for at least 5% of total health spending invested in preventive health. The recent Federal Budget did not show a bold move towards this target.
Hughes said that the decision against the funding of RSV vaccines are at odds with the massive reductions in hospital admissions seen not only in clinical trials, but in overseas countries and two Australian states which have funded all-infant RSV immunisation programs.
“The success of RSV immunisation programs internationally, and now in Queensland and Western Australia, provides compelling evidence that we can dramatically reduce the number of babies admitted to hospital each winter,” Hughes said.
“The impact of these state-based programs should serve as a catalyst for the Australian Government to commit to a national program to ensure every baby in every postcode has access to RSV protection in 2025,” she said. “Protection against RSV should not be determined by where you live, nor how much money you have.”
Hughes said that the increasing number of countries now implementing large-scale RSV immunisation programs would put increasing pressure on global immunisation supplies.
“We cannot risk further delays. Political leadership is required to ensure RSV immunisations are secured and available in time for winter 2025,” she emphasised.
Harris added, “The investment in preventative health goes beyond the benefits to our healthcare system. It has secondary benefits to our society. When you look at it in its totality, there is a compelling argument for us to be bold about it right now.”
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