New COPD Data Support RSV Vaccine, but Access Lags: Jorgen Vestbo, MD

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Data presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) 2026 International Congress in Barcelona, Spain, could support a recommendation for RSV vaccination in patients 60 years and older with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).¹

The nationwide, register-based cohort study followed 7,454 vaccinated adults with COPD in Denmark, matched 4 to 1 with 29,816 unvaccinated individuals. Adjuvanted RSVPreF3 vaccination was associated with 100% effectiveness against RSV-related severe COPD exacerbations, RSV-coded hospitalization, and RSV-related mortality, with no events observed among vaccinated individuals. All-cause mortality was also reduced by 42% compared with the unvaccinated group.¹

While the study may not be necessary to inform such a recommendation, it does provide supporting evidence as a real-world study, said Jorgen Vestbo, MD, a professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Manchester and co-author of the study, in an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care®.

"But those, in themselves, can never support a recommendation on their own, but they do qualify it, I think, subsequently," he explained.

Following such a recommendation, the next step would be ensuring access across different patient populations globally, which Vestbo said comes down largely to affordability. He pointed to examples from New Zealand and the US, where changes to guidelines and reimbursement rules affected patient uptake.

For example, he noted that in Denmark, flu and COVID-19 vaccines are free, and the RSV vaccine is reimbursed for many patients, though it can cost $300 to $400 if paid out of pocket, an amount few patients with COPD could afford on their own.

"I think if you really want to say these states are promising, they make an impact; you put it on the National Health Service for free," he said. "And I think that it is about price. Price drives most incentives in medicine."

References

1. Fonseca MJ, Bratkovic S, Colak Y, et al. Effectiveness of adjuvanted RSVPreF3 vaccine against severe exacerbations and mortality among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: emerging results from a nationwide Danish cohort study. Presented at ERS 2026 International Congress; September 5-9, 2026; Barcelona, Spain.