GSK plc (LON/NYSE: GSK) has announced that it has reached an exclusive agreement with Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products, Ltd. (Zhifei) to co-promote GSK’s shingles vaccine, Shingrix, in China for an initial three-year period, with the potential to extend the partnership should all parties agree. Zhifei, the largest Chinese vaccine company by revenue, has a track record of driving access to innovative vaccines in China. By bringing together the scale and expertise of the two companies, the strategic partnership will significantly extend the availability of Shingrix, supporting the rapid expansion of patient access to the vaccine and future potential indications.
· Partnership will significantly extend availability of Shingrix in China with co-promotion to healthcare professionals and over 30,000 points of vaccination
· Partnership also supports potential future co-development and commercialisation of Arexvy, GSK’s respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for older adults 60 years and older, in China
Set to start on 1 January 2024, Zhifei will have exclusive rights to import and distribute Shingrix in China – focusing on promoting the vaccine through its extensive service network, which covers more than 30,000 vaccination points across the country. In partnership, GSK – as the license holder for the product – will co-promote Shingrix by raising awareness of the importance of shingles vaccination amongst healthcare professionals within community health centres and hospital settings.
In August 2023, GSK announced positive data from the ZOSTER-076 phase IV trial showing that Shingrix demonstrated 100% vaccine efficacy in preventing shingles in Chinese adults aged 50 and over. More details can be found here – https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-releases/new-shingrix-data-demonstrate-100-vaccine-efficacy-in-prevention-shingles/.
Luke Miels, Chief Commercial Officer, GSK, said: “This partnership is consistent with our focus on products with a high and durable level of differentiation. It materially expands the number of Chinese adults who can benefit from Shingrix and includes the option to extend the collaboration to include our novel RSV vaccine, Arexvy.”
Financial considerations
Subject to the terms of the agreement, Zhifei will purchase agreed volumes of Shingrix with a value to GSK of £2.5 billion in total over the initial three-year period. These volumes are expected to be phased over this time as demand is expected to accelerate steadily through the period. There is potential to extend the partnership should all parties agree. The partnership supports and accelerates GSK’s commitment to double global Shingrix sales, reaching more than £4 billion by 2026.
Under the terms of the strategic partnership, Zhifei has granted GSK the right of first refusal to be their exclusive partner for any co-development and commercialisation of an RSV vaccine for older adults in China, paving the way for the companies to potentially partner on Arexvy upon approval in China.
