GSK sponsors 2025 National Senior Games as part of Sideline RSV campaign to raise awareness of RSV in older adults
- GSK and the National Senior Games team up to spotlight RSV risk, prevention, and the power of proactive health conversations
- National TV special "Redefining Aging" to launch in September, spotlighting Senior Games athletes and their experiences with RSV
GSK plc (LSE/NYSE:GSK) announced its sponsorship of the 2025 National Senior Games as part of its nationwide Sideline RSV campaign, a health education campaign aimed at helping educate older adults and their loved ones about the risks of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The National Senior Games give adults over 50 across the US the opportunity to stay engaged and active in competitive sports like basketball and swimming, providing an opportune setting to put a focus on healthy aging and prevention and to raise awareness about the risks of RSV. To extend this message beyond the Games, GSK will debut a national television special this fall called Redefining Aging with Senior Athletes, which will feature four Senior Games athletes' RSV-related stories.
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Sideline RSV MVP Carole trains for the National Senior Games
Leonard Friedland, MD, VP and Director of Scientific Affairs and Public Health at GSK, explained: "As a physician, I want all adults, athletes or not, especially those 50 and older, to understand that RSV isn't just a childhood illness. RSV can lead to hospitalization or worse, particularly for those with certain chronic conditions. That's why it's so important to stay informed and have a conversation with your doctor or pharmacist. Prevention starts with awareness—and that first step is a conversation."
During and after the Games, GSK will share educational materials, profile prevention-focused athletes, and encourage conversations around RSV risk and prevention across the country. The National Senior Games will be held July 24–August 4 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Redefining Aging with Senior Athletes will run on local TV stations nationwide from September through November and will also be streaming online at GrowingBolder.com starting in September. Each of the featured Senior Games athletes, fondly referred to as the Sideline RSV MVPs, will share their unique personal connection to RSV, whether it be battling severe RSV symptoms, learning that their asthma can increase the risk of severe infection, or taking preventative action by speaking with a doctor about vaccination. Through these stories, the special aims to raise awareness about the potential impact of RSV on older adults while celebrating the joys of staying active over age 50.
While RSV infection can affect anyone, adults ages 50-74 with certain risk factors like chronic heart and lung disease and adults 75 and older are at increased risk for severe RSV infection.1,2 Each year, RSV leads to approximately 177,000 hospitalizations among US adults ages 65 and older and an estimated 14,000 of those cases result in death.3
Carole, a Sideline RSV MVP competing in track and field, said: "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. 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. I don't want RSV to sideline myself or others again."
To learn more, visit www.SidelineRSV.com. If you're 50 years of age or older, speak with your healthcare provider or pharmacist about RSV and vaccination.
About GSK
GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Find out more at gsk.com.
About Sideline RSV
Sideline RSV is a health education campaign to help older adults and their loved ones know the risks of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The campaign will help bring the RSV conversation among older adults center court to educate around the risk for severe complications from RSV. This national campaign will educate older adults and their loved ones on how to help protect against RSV by helping people understand their risks for RSV and encourage them to talk with their doctor and other healthcare professionals.
About respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults
RSV is a common contagious virus that can affect the lungs and breathing passages.1 Typical symptoms of RSV include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, congestion, headache, and tiredness.2 RSV can spread easily when someone who is infected coughs or sneezes and is likely to be transmitted by touching a contaminated surface before touching the eyes, nose, or mouth.4 Things that can be done to help prevent the spread of RSV include hand washing and avoiding close contact with others.5 RSV is typically contagious for 3-8 days.5 Some people, especially those with weakened immune systems, can be contagious for as long as 4 weeks.5 Each year, approximately 177,000 adults 65 years and older are hospitalized in the US due to RSV, and an estimated 14,000 of those cases result in death.3 RSV can exacerbate certain conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and congestive heart failure and can lead to severe outcomes, such as pneumonia, hospitalization, and death.6
About the National Senior Games
The National Senior Games, the largest qualified multi-sport event in the world for adults 50 and over, brings together more than 12,000 athletes aged 50 to 100+ to compete in over 25 sports. As part of its sponsorship, Sideline RSV is spotlighting the importance of proactive health conversations—especially around RSV, a common and potentially serious respiratory virus that can impact older adults.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those described under Item 3.D "Risk factors" in GSK's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2024.
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References
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About RSV. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/about/index.html. Accessed July 2025.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clinical Overview of RSV. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/hcp/clinical-overview/. Accessed July 2025.
3. Falsey AR, et al. N Engl J Med 2005; 352:1749-1759 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa043951.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How RSV Spreads. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/causes/index.html. Accessed July 2025.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms and Care of RSV. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/symptoms/index.html. Accessed July 2025.
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RSV in Adults. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/adults/index.html. Accessed July 2025.
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