Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccinations Administered in Pharmacies and Physician Medical Offices (IQVIA), Adults 60 years and older

At a glance

Weekly estimates of RSV vaccinations administered to adults in pharmacies and medical offices are based on IQVIA data.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccinations Administered in Pharmacies and Physician Medical Offices*, Adults, United States

In June 2023, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend that adults aged ≥60 years may receive a single dose of an RSV vaccine (Arexvy and Abrysvo), using shared clinical decision-making. In June 2024, the ACIP voted to recommend a single dose of RSV vaccine for all adults 75 years and older and adults 60–74 years who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease. On June 26, 2024, CDC adopted these recommendations. The data below capture ever receiving a dose of an RSV vaccine by adults 75 years and older. mResvia was licensed May 31, 2024 and recommended in June 2024.

The projected pharmacy estimates are based on IQVIA†,‡ Longitudinal Prescription Claims (LRx) and vaccinations administered in retail pharmacies (including chain, mass merchandise, food stores, and independent pharmacies). Using the raw number of doses administered at a subset of retail pharmacies, IQVIA uses a proprietary projection methodology to estimate the projected number of vaccinations administered at all retail pharmacies. For the 2023-24 season, projected estimates are based on a subset of 40,469 pharmacies. The total number of retail pharmacies in the U.S. was estimated at 57,000 in 2022.§ The estimates include RSV vaccinations that were billed to insurers (i.e. claims) or paid by cash. Projected pharmacy estimates are updated each week for the prior 13 weeks but an initial evaluation has shown that the number of doses changed minimally over time.

The projected physicians' medical offices estimates are based on IQVIA's Medical Claims (Dx) . Using the raw number of doses administered at the offices of a subset of physicians from American Medical Association's (AMA) proprietary list, IQVIA uses a proprietary projection methodology to estimate the projected number of vaccinations administered in medical offices of all physicians from AMA's list. For the 2023-24 season, projected estimates were based on a subset of 2,866 AMA physicians. The number of AMA primary care physicians in the U.S. is 258,350.± The estimates include RSV vaccinations that are claims-based only, and estimates are expected to increase over time for a given time period as claims are processed and adjudicated. Projected estimates are updated monthly and do not mature until about two months. This results in an increase or decrease in the initial or subsequent estimates for a given week. Evaluations are underway for 2023-24 RSV vaccinations; for comparison purposes, initial evaluation of IQVIA flu vaccination estimates is available and indicates that the reported number of doses administered for a particular week increased 10.7% over the next few weeks.

Vaccinations administered in workplaces, community locations, long-term care settings, and other medical settings such as public health clinics are not represented in these data.

  • Figure 2. Weekly Cumulative Estimated Number of RSV Vaccinations Administered in Retail Pharmacies and Physicians' Medical Offices, Adults 75 years and older, United States*,. Data Source(s): Data Source(s): IQVIA LRx and Dx.

Download Data for Figure 2

*National estimates for retail pharmacies and physicians' medical offices include vaccinations administered in 50 states and the District of Columbia. National estimates for medical office vaccinations do not include doses where geographic information (i.e. which state the dose was administered in) was missing. Pharmacy data are through Friday of each week and medical office data are through Saturday of each week. For data privacy, IQVIA calculates age based on year of birth and everyone born in a given year is assigned January 1 as their date of birth. Therefore, some persons who received an RSV vaccine in 2023 at the age of 74 may not represented in these estimates.

†CDC recommends a single dose of RSV vaccine for all adults 75 years and older (Use of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines in Adults Aged ≥60 Years: Updated Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2024 | MMWR (cdc.gov)). Each 2024-25 season week's estimate includes 4,589,530 doses received by adults 75 and older between August 12, 2023 through August 3, 2024.

‡King, L. M., Bartoces, M., Fleming-Dutra, K. E., et al. (2020). Changes in US outpatient antibiotic prescriptions from 2011–2016. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 70(3), 370-377.

§McLaughlin, J. M., Swerdlow, D. L., Khan, F., et al. (2019). Disparities in uptake of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine among older adults in the United States. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics, 15(4), 841-849.

± https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/meeting-changing-consumer-needs-the-us-retail-pharmacy-of-the-future. Accessed on 08.28.2024.

^Total number of physicians of all specialties is 989,320; of these, primary care physicians include Internal Medicine (IM), Family Medicine/General Practice, IM/Pediatrics, and Geriatrics. 2023 U.S. Physician Workforce Data Dashboard | AAMC. Accessed on 08.28.24.