China’s shingles vaccine landscape revolutionized as GSK partners with Zhifei

Global pharmaceutical titan GSK plc is teaming up with Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products, Ltd. (Zhifei) – China‘s leading vaccine revenue generator – to co-promote its groundbreaking shingles vaccine, Shingrix, across the vast Chinese terrain. This exclusive three-year collaboration, beginning 1 January 2024, is set to be a game-changer in elevating patient access to Shingrix. There’s potential for partnership longevity contingent on mutual agreement, ensuring long-term synergy between the powerhouses.

With this strategic move, Zhifei clinches exclusive rights to import and circulate Shingrix in China, leveraging its robust service network spanning 30,000-plus vaccination points. Meanwhile, GSK, the licensed proprietor of Shingrix, intensifies its commitment by championing shingles vaccination awareness among medical professionals in community health precincts and hospital ecosystems.

Highlighting the vaccine’s unparalleled efficacy, GSK unveiled the stellar ZOSTER-076 phase IV trial results in August 2023. The data spotlighted Shingrix’s 100% vaccine efficacy in averting shingles in Chinese adults 50 years and above.

GSK, Zhifei seal the deal: Unprecedented move to boost Shingrix vaccine access in China. Photo courtesy of Maxwell Hamilton/Wikimedia Commons.

Luke Miels, Chief Commercial Officer at GSK, shared insights on this strategic alliance, emphasizing the alignment with GSK’s product differentiation objectives. Miels accentuated the partnership’s potential in “materially expanding” the reach to Chinese adults and signaled the possibility of a future collaboration around GSK’s innovative RSV vaccine, Arexvy.

Financially speaking, Zhifei commits to procuring Shingrix volumes valuing a staggering £2.5 billion for GSK over the slated three-year span. Anticipating demand surge, these volumes will see a phased distribution. This partnership harmonizes with GSK’s ambitious vision of doubling Shingrix sales, targeting a robust £4 billion figure by 2026.

A cherry on top, the partnership terms grant GSK a prioritized right of refusal, positioning them as Zhifei’s sole collaborator for co-developing and marketing an RSV vaccine for elderly Chinese citizens. This opens potential avenues for partnering on Arexvy, once green-lit in China.