GSK shingles vaccine on form
pharmafile | December 19, 2014 | News story | Sales and Marketing | GSK, HZ/su, Merck, Vaccine, Zostavax, shingles
GlaxoSmithKline will be celebrating following the successful Phase III study of its shingles vaccine HZ/su that has met its primary endpoint.
HZ/su reduced the risk of shingles by 97.2% in adults aged 50 years and older compared to placebo in a trial involving more than 16,000 people.
GSK’s vaccine development leader at GSK Alain Brecx, says: “It’s great news that the ZOE-50 trial has met its primary endpoint. If approved, this candidate vaccine may offer an important option for the prevention of shingles, a painful disease that negatively impacts peoples’ health and quality of life.
The news is a big deal for the UK firm as it means its shot could now be a strong competitor for the only established vaccine currently on the market for the condition – Merck’s Zostavax.
Shingles can be a nasty disease for older people and can lead to long-term health problems for around 14,000 people each year.
It typically presents itself as a painful, itchy rash that develops on one side of the body, as a result of reactivation of latent chickenpox virus (varicella zoster virus, VZV).
Anyone who has been infected with VZV is at risk of developing shingles, with age and altered immune system being recognised as the main risk factors.
HZ/su combines gE, a protein found on the virus that causes shingles, with an adjuvant system, AS01B,1 which is intended to enhance the immunological response.
The full set of safety data from the ZOE-50 trial is currently being analysed and will be disclosed in the coming months according to GSK.
In addition to older adults, HZ/su is being evaluated in immunocompromised patient populations, including solid and haematological cancer patients, haematopoietic stem cell and renal transplant recipients and HIV-infected people.
Brecx adds: “We look forward to sharing these compelling results and additional data from the ZOE-50 study and the broader HZ/suclinical development programme with the scientific and regulatory communities.”
Brett Wells
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