Oct 8 (Askume) – GlaxoSmithKline (PFE.N) and Pfizer (GSKL.LL) rose after regulators narrowed the target age group and said its vaccines could now be used lifelong .
Some independent pharmacists say demand for respiratory syncytial virus vaccines during the autumn vaccination season is down by two-thirds compared with the same period last year. So far, the numbers reported by healthcare data company IQVIA (IQV.N) and reported by many Wall Street analysts are roughly in line with that number.
Vaccines are important for both Pfizer and GSK as they plan to build new franchises before their best-selling drugs face generic competition later this decade.
Pfizer has also faced weak demand for its Covid products from activist investor Starboard Value , causing its shares to fall to about half from their pandemic highs. It also forces the New York-based drugmakerAnnounced two separate cost-cutting plans totaling over $5.5 billion .
Chief Executive Albert Bourla is disappointed that the RSV shot Abrisvo won’t be available in 2023 , but the company is optimistic about the vaccine’s U.S. rollout this year.
Erin Fox, a professor at the University of Utah who helps manage the university’s health system pharmacy, attributes the slowdown in demand for RSV to the administration’s decision in June to limit the number of eligible patients compared with last year.
“I think we’re going to see a lot fewer patients that need the vaccine. You have all the demand on hold, and now you’re certainly going to have fewer patients getting vaccinated,” Fox said.
Jefferies analyst Peter Welford said in a note last week that activity so far suggests GlaxoSmithKline’s ArxV sales in the third quarter may fall short of Wall Street expectations.
The RSV season usually begins in October.
A GSK spokesperson said 9 million Americans, or two-thirds of the market, have received ArexV’s RSV vaccine, and the company sees strong growth opportunities in the U.S. and globally. About 24% of adults over 60 were vaccinated last year, including more than 30% of adults over 70, according to U.S. estimates.
“We expect sales of Arexvi to reach 3 billion pounds ($3.92 billion) this year,” a GSK spokesman said.
Pfizer declined to comment for this story.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) retains leadership position
An average of about 440,000 people were vaccinated with GSK or Pfizer’s RSV vaccine each week in September last year, with about 65% receiving GSK’s ArexV, according to IQVIA data reported by analysts. This year, the average visitor count rose to 157,000 per week in September.
Top U.S. drugstores including CVS Health (CVS.N) and Walgreens declined to comment on their operations.
David Kohl of Kohl’s Pharmacy, which owns stores in Nebraska and Iowa, said his vaccine reservations for August and September were down 65% from the same period last year.
Steve Moore, owner and pharmacist at Condo Pharmacy in Plattsburgh, New York, said his sales have declined further.
“People who support the vaccine and are excited about it may have already received it,” Moore said.
Last year, his pharmacy administered most of the RSV vaccine at an event where many people were vaccinated. “My first vaccine is coming in,” Moore said. “I now have six people to vaccinate instead of 80.”
US. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says vaccines should be given to adults 75 years of age and older and people 60 to 74 years of age with health conditions that put them at risk for severe RSV. Last year, the legal age was 60 years and older.
The United Kingdom and Canada have also begun offering the vaccine to their citizens, with the United Kingdom aiming to offer the Pfizer vaccine to people aged 75 to 79.
CDC. The vaccines are classified as single-dose vaccines, though the companies plan to submit more data on the benefits of revaccination.
Data released by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on Tuesday showed that Arexvi was still about 43% effective at preventing severe disease during the third trimester of RSV.
Last year, GSK held two-thirds of the market, thanks largely to its contracts with retail pharmacies. So far this year it has maintained its dominance, with Pfizer gaining some share in recent weeks.
In 2023, GlaxoSmithKline’s Arixvi contributed 1.2 billion pounds ($1.57 billion) in sales, while Pfizer’s Abrisvo contributed $890 million. GlaxoSmithKline’s sales are expected to fall slightly to about 1.15 billion pounds this year, while Pfizer’s sales are expected to rise about 40% to $1.2 billion.
Moderna’s (MRNA.O) mResvia was approved in May, but the company said the third product on the market is expected to lag behind the other two because it was approved too late to gain share among the largest pharmacies.
“This is not a flu shot,” said Bank of Montreal analyst Evan Sigman. “You don’t get these vaccines over and over again, these are not annuities.”
