Norfolk study involving seniors could help bring vaccine for respiratory virus to market

Norfolk — The loosening of pandemic restrictions brought an unseasonable spate of other viruses among children, including respiratory syncytial virus — an illness that can be life-threatening in infants.

But doctors say the public might not be aware of the serious harm RSV can do to elderly people. That means grandparents and other seniors who are in contact with young children are more at risk now, too.

The recent wave of cases appears to have kicked the race for a vaccine into high gear, with at least four major pharmaceutical companies — Moderna, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer — testing experimental drugs. There is no vaccine or specific treatment on the market for RSV, a disease discovered 65 years ago.

AMR Norfolk, a local branch of a clinical research chain, is among the many centers contributing to the research. The company, Alliance for Multispecialty Research, will conduct a phase-three trial on a Johnson & Johnson vaccine for older adults. It’s enrolling a few hundred volunteers who are 60 and up, a small portion of the 23,000 who will participate in the study worldwide.

RSV spreads through contact with droplets in the air, but it’s much more likely than the coronavirus to stick around on surfaces like toys.

Its prevention relies on hygiene and infection prevention measures that people have grown more accustomed to through the COVID-19 crisis, said Dr. Mary Bailey, physician investigator for AMR Norfolk’s study: avoiding close contact with sick people, washing hands frequently with soap and water, resisting the urge to touch one’s face and using proper coughing and sneezing techniques.

“Having young children under 5 do these things is very challenging. That then factors into why developing a vaccine that prevents serious illness in vulnerable individuals — prevents death in vulnerable individuals — is so important,” she said. “We all know it’s very hard to tell a child, ‘Cough in your elbow.’”

RSV cases began to rise in March and exploded this summer, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness, which can cause flu-like symptoms such as runny nose, coughing, sneezing and fever, normally begins to spread in the fall, much like the flu season.

Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters has reported a similar off-season rise, along with upticks in COVID-19 and parainfluenza.

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and children under 1 year of age. But medical experts say seniors are also at risk of severe illness. (CDC/ Dr. Craig Lyerla / HANDOUT)

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Epidemiologists believe older infants and toddlers might now be at increased risk of severe RSV because they likely didn’t have normal levels of exposure to the virus over the past year and a half. The CDC issued a health advisory in June about a surge in the South and beyond.

RSV typically leads to some 2 million doctor-office visits in children under age 5 each year, 58,000 hospitalizations and up to 500 deaths, according to the CDC.

Among adults ages 65 and older, it can lead to pneumonia and severe bronchitis. Each year, they account for close to 180,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths.

Older adults who enroll in the locally run vaccine study will receive two shots about a year apart, Bailey said. Some people will get the experimental vaccine, and others will get placebos.

The local investigational team and the participants won’t know who received what until after the trial is complete. Enrollees will have at least four on-site visits and lab work.

For more information on the AMR Norfolk study, contact 888-259-1231 or visit www.AMRLLC.com/open.

Elisha Sauers, 757-839-4754, elisha.sauers@pilotonline.com