Blockbuster RSV vaccine gives GSK shot in the arm
GSK’s vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is set to achieve ‘blockbuster’ status by hitting $1 bn in sales.
Arexvy, which is used to treat the cold-like condition in vulnerable adults over the age of 60, is predicted by analysts to have reached £787 m ($1 bn) in sales at the end of last year.
The milestone, needed for a drug to be considered a blockbuster, will help the UK pharma business to steal a march on its main US rival.
The prediction, made ahead of GSK’s annual results tomorrow, comes as european regulators agreed to review the potential for Arexvy to be used to treat adults in their 50s with increased risk of RSV, widening its potential patient base.
GSK said it was the first pharma firm to file for an extension of RSV vaccination to the age group and that a decision from EU officials was expected in the third quarter of this year.
The success of Arexvy, which in May last year became the first RSV vaccine in the world after it secured the green light from US regulators, has allowed GSK to move ahead of its main US rival Pfizer, which is also rolling out its version of the jab called Abrysvo after it was approved the following month.
So far, GSK has massively outstripped Pfizer’s performance, with Arexvy accounting for around two-thirds of all RSV vaccines administered.
It may alleviate ongoing concerns about GSK’s pipeline of new drugs, which has held back its share price in recent years as the firm struggles to replicate the success of its shingles vaccine Shingrix, which in the third quarter of last year raked in sales of £825 m.
But there are hopes that Arexvy’s success could mark a turning point as GSK boss emma Walmsley continues to focus the group on the development of new drugs and vaccines after spinning out its consumer division Haleon in July 2022.