On Feb. 29, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) presented a preliminary analysis that showed that 23 adults over the age of 65 who received a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).
When a person develops GBS, including after an infection or vaccination, the body attacks the peripheral nerves. GBS symptoms begin with muscle weakness and numbness or tingling in different parts of the body and recovery can be complete or paralysis of one or more limbs can occur, including full body paralysis, which can lead to death.
The CDC’s analysis evaluated preliminary rates of GBS following one dose of either GSK plc’s RSVPreF3+AS01 (AREXVY) vaccine or Pfizer, Inc.’s RSVPreF (ABRYSVO) vaccine and compared it to the rates of GBS in an historical control group.
The data used in the study was collected from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrative claims and enrollment information that was derived from CMS Medicare Shared Systems Data (SSD). The population studied included CMS Medicare Beneficiaries over age 65 years and older enrolled in Medicare Fee-for-Service.
The study period for the ABRYSVO RSV vaccine was from May 31, 2023 to Dec. 2, 2023 and for AREXVY from May 3, 2023 to Dec. 2, 2023.
The people who were used as part of the analysis either had one dose of ABRYSVO or AREXVY after the CDC’s RSV vaccine authorization and prior to the data through Dec. 2, 2023.
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