Europe Approves RSV Vaccine for Most Adults

As the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season diminishes in 2025, most European adults are gaining access to an innovative vaccine.

Pfizer Inc. today announced that the European Commission (EC) has issued a decision amending the marketing authorization for ABRYSVO®, the company’s bivalent RSV prefusion F vaccine, to extend the indication to include prevention of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by RSV in individuals 18 through 59 years of age.

This action by the EC expands the previous authorization for individuals aged 60 and older, and ABRYSVO now offers the broadest RSV vaccine indication in the EU.

“We are thrilled that ABRYSVO is now approved in the EU to help prevent RSV in adults aged 18 and older, which causes approximately 158,000 adult hospital admissions annually from RSV disease, a common respiratory virus with symptoms that can be severe or even life-threatening,” said Alexandre de Germay, Chief International Commercial Officer, Executive Vice President, Pfizer, in a press release on April 1, 2025.

In Europe, RSV is a common respiratory virus that causes mild, cold-like symptoms. However, in infants under six months of age, people over 65, and people with a compromised immune system, RSV can cause severe illness and death.

According to the ECDC on April 2, 2025, RSV activity peaked in the EU/EEA in week 52, 2024, and has since decreased, but has remained elevated, with considerable variation between countries.

Before visiting Europe, travel clinics and pharmacies in the United States offer RSV vaccination services.