GSK is taking to the airwaves to get the message out about respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), presenting a TV special about how the pathogen has affected athletes in the upcoming National Senior Games.
The drugmaker is sponsoring the biennial, Olympic-style event as part of its long-running “Sideline RSV” awareness campaign.
GSK shared more details of its involvement in the National Senior Games on Thursday, revealing that it will keep the messaging going when the event wraps up in early August by presenting a TV special called “Redefining Aging with Senior Athletes.”
Local TV stations nationwide will run the special from September through November. The timing of the special, which will also stream online at GrowingBolder.com, overlaps with the RSV vaccination season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends giving RSV vaccines in late summer or early fall, a timeframe that covers August to October in most of the continental U.S.
The special, which will reportedly last 30 minutes, features conversations about RSV with four National Senior Games athletes.
“While I’m normally an active person, when I had RSV, I couldn’t go to work or get out of bed. It was devastating, and it’s not something I saw coming,” Carole, a track and field athlete featured in the special, said in a statement. “Now, I want to encourage others to talk to their physician or pharmacist about RSV so they can continue to be there for life’s big moments, be it competing at the National Senior Games or enjoying time with family.”
The special will share the stories and performances of several older adults, including discussions of how they approach diet, exercise and educating themselves about diseases.
Marc Middleton, an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and six-time world record-holding swimmer, will host the program, per the Television Syndication Company.
The awareness push comes as GSK prepares to resume its battle with Pfizer and Moderna for dominance of the RSV vaccination season. GSK’s Arexvy was the clear winner of the first RSV vaccination season in 2023, but sales of the vaccine and Pfizer’s rival shot collapsed last year after a CDC advisory committee narrowed its age recommendation for RSV vaccination.