Vaccine makers' stocks fall as CDC advisers shift RSV-shot recommendations

By Eleanor Laise

Pfizer, GSK and Moderna shares drop as advisers recommend RSV vaccine for everyone 75 and older

Shares of vaccine makers Pfizer Inc., GSK PLC and Moderna Inc. dropped Wednesday as advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shifted their recommendations for who should be vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus.

The CDC's immunization advisory committee voted unanimously to recommend that everyone age 75 and older get a single dose of RSV vaccine. That replaces the advisers' previous recommendation that people 60 and older get the shot, if discussions between the patient and their doctor support that decision.

For people age 60 to 74, the advisers voted unanimously to recommend the RSV vaccine only for those who are at increased risk of severe outcomes from the virus, which often causes mild symptoms similar to a cold but can more seriously affect babies and older adults.

About 60,000 to 160,000 people 65 and older are hospitalized each year due to RSV, according to the CDC.

Moderna's stock (MRNA) plunged 11% Wednesday. That was the stock's biggest percentage decline in more than two years and made it the day's worst performer in the S&P 500 SPX. Pfizer shares (PFE) fell 2% Wednesday, while GSK's American depositary receipts (GSK) fell 3.6%.

Committee members said at the meeting that safety considerations factored into their decision to adjust the recommendations. The CDC said in a report late last month that reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a serious neurological disorder, were "more common than expected" after RSV vaccination. The syndrome remains very rare, but the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration are conducting active safety evaluations to assess the risk, the report said.

The advisers will revise their recommendations as they get additional information, but "right now, we do worry about safety," Camille Kotton, the committee's RSV work group chair, said at the meeting.

"You shouldn't vaccinate people who really don't need the vaccine," committee member Oliver Brooks, past president of the National Medical Association, said during the meeting.

Moderna's stock was already falling sharply earlier Wednesday after the company's presentation to the advisory committee said its RSV shot was roughly 50% effective at the 18-month mark, raising concerns about its competitiveness against the GSK and Pfizer vaccines.

The Moderna vaccine, mResvia, received FDA approval late last month for people 60 and older, giving the COVID-19 vaccine maker its second approved product.

The FDA earlier this month expanded its approval of GSK's RSV vaccine, Arexvy, to include people age 50 to 59. The vaccine was previously approved for adults 60 and older. About 13 million people in the U.S. age 50 to 59 have a medical condition that increases their risk of severe RSV outcomes.

-Eleanor Laise

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06-26-24 1629ET

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