April 1 (Reuters) - The European Commission approved

Pfizer's ( PFE ) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for

the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV

in adults aged 18 to 59 at increased risk of the disease, the

company said on Tuesday.

The expanded EU approval is for Pfizer's ( PFE ) Abrysvo vaccine,

which was backed by the European Medicines Agency's panel of

experts in March.

It is a blow for rival drugmaker GSK which has not

yet won approval for this population for its RSV vaccine.