US approval of GSK’s one-vial meningitis vaccine sweetens investors amid litigation
GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) one-vial only meningitis vaccine Menveo has been approved by US regulators, which has sweetened investors amid its ongoing legal battle.
The British medicines giant and French pharma firm Sanofi are currently undergoing a series of trials in the US over Zantac, a heartburn drug which was recalled in 2019 following claims by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it produced unacceptable levels of cancer-causing chemicals when exposed to heat..
The litigation has been weighing on GSK’s stock price, which is down more than a third over the year to date, knocking the wind out of last week’s “exceptional” trial results for an RSV vaccine.
However, shares inched a little over one per cent today to 1,364p a piece.
“Outbreaks of this dangerous disease continue to occur, impacting families, health systems and society. This FDA approval of Menveo one-vial presentation offers greater convenience to healthcare providers to help prevent this disease in at-risk populations in the United States,” GSK president of vaccines and global health, Roger Connor, said in a statement.
The one-vial Menveo vaccine will initially be available to US federal customers, with wider availability for those between 10 and 55-years old anticipated in mid-2023.
GSK’s original two-vial presentation of Menveo was approved by the FDA in 2010 and remains available for use in individuals from two months to 55 years of age.