Glaxo lures top Pfizer scientist for vax

GlaxoSmithKline Plc lured a senior Pfizer Inc scientist who helped develop the US pharma company's Covid shot to oversee vaccines research and development as it takes on increased competition in the field.

Phil Dormitzer is set to join Glaxo as global head of vaccines R&D, the British pharma company said in a statement on Tuesday. As chief scientific officer of RNA and viral vaccines at Pfizer, he worked on respiratory syncytial virus and influenza shots, as well as the RNA-based Covid vaccine with BioNTech SE.

Glaxo was the numberone producer of vaccines before the pandemic but failed to successfully develop its own Covid shot while Pfizer, Moderna Inc and UK rival AstraZeneca Plc managed to do so. The pharma company is now seeking to capitalise on technologies such as messenger RNA and ensure it's a dominant player beyond the pandemic.

Activist investment firm Elliott Investment Management has been agitating for changes at the drugmaker since taking a multi-billion-dollar stake in the company and publicly disagreeing with some parts of its strategy.

An experimental Covid vaccine Glaxo has been developing with Sanofi has suffered months of delays, but could become available next year if a late-stage trial is successful.

Pfizer expects $36 billion in revenue from its Covid vaccine this year.

Dormitzer's appointment comes as Glaxo prepares for a separation in mid2022 that will leave a standalone pharma and vaccines company. The new vaccines executive, who will be based in the Boston area, previously worked at Novartis AG.