Pfizer gets FDA panel's backing in RSV vaccine race

A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. health regulator on Tuesday recommended Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, bringing it closer to becoming one of the first approved RSV shots for older adults in the United States.

The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) advisory committee voted 7-4 in favor of the vaccine, saying data from the company's study established that the shot was effective and safe in preventing lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in people aged 60 years and older. One member abstained during voting.