March 13 (Reuters) - British drugmaker GSK said on Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approved age range for its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, Arexvy, to include adults aged 18 to 49 who are at increased risk of lower respiratory tract disease caused by the virus.
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* The vaccine is already approved in the U.S. for preventingRSV-related disease in adults aged 60 and above, and in at-riskadults aged 50 to 59. * RSV is a common respiratory virus that causes seasonalinfections such as the flu and is a leading cause of pneumoniaand death in infants and older adults. * In the U.S., an estimated 21 million adults under 50 haveat least one risk factor for severe RSV infection, the companysaid. * GSK's vaccine, Arexvy, would be competing for market sharein the 18-49 age group with Moderna's mRESVIA and Pfizer'sAbrysvo. * In December, a panel of the European Medicines Agency hadalso backed the use of Arexvy for all adults above the age of18, paving the way for broader use.
(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
