Shingrix shines — and stings — for GSK
Conversations with investors about GlaxoSmithKline have changed, the British drug giant’s CEO, Emma Walmsley, told STAT’s Matthew Herper. These days, she said, investors ask her about the drugs GSK is developing, not its financial maneuvers.
A bright light has been Shingrix, the company's vaccine for shingles, an extremely painful adult infection that's caused by the same virus that triggers chickenpox. Shingrix appears more effective than the previous vaccine, and has become a big seller. Sales last quarter totaled $700 million. “Shingrix has been the best biopharma launch in a decade,” Walmsley said.
It also has side effects — pain for most patients, severe fever for at least a fifth. “It hurts ’cause it works, but it's certainly not slowing down demand,” Walmsley said. GSK works to make sure patients are aware of potential side effects, she said, adding: “It doesn't hurt nearly as much as shingles does.”
Demand for the vaccine is accelerating, Walmsley noted.
A bright light has been Shingrix, the company's vaccine for shingles, an extremely painful adult infection that's caused by the same virus that triggers chickenpox. Shingrix appears more effective than the previous vaccine, and has become a big seller. Sales last quarter totaled $700 million. “Shingrix has been the best biopharma launch in a decade,” Walmsley said.
It also has side effects — pain for most patients, severe fever for at least a fifth. “It hurts ’cause it works, but it's certainly not slowing down demand,” Walmsley said. GSK works to make sure patients are aware of potential side effects, she said, adding: “It doesn't hurt nearly as much as shingles does.”
Demand for the vaccine is accelerating, Walmsley noted.
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