The treatment, called Arexvy, ‘will be more than a billion pounds in its first year’ and has ‘lots of headroom for growth’ Walmsley told the publication.
The British pharma giant previously anticipated full-year 2023 sales for the drug to be between $1.14 billion and $1.26 billion.
These numbers followed a strong US launch for Arexvy, after the US food and drug administration (FDA) approved the vaccine back in May. The drug is also approved in Japan, Europe and other countries.
“Today marks a turning point in our effort to reduce the significant burden of RSV. Arexvy is the first approved RSV vaccine for older adults, expanding GSK’s industry-leading vaccine portfolio, which protects millions of people from infectious diseases each year. Our focus now is to ensure eligible older adults in the US can access the vaccine as quickly as possible and to progress regulatory review in other countries, Tony Wood, chief scientific officer at GSK, said at the time.
While Walmsley admits it is ‘early days’ in Arexvy’s launch, the company is 'delighted' with its progress so far.
The growth potential is significant as the vaccine has currently only reached 3 million of the more than 80 million adults over 60 at risk from RSV, she added.
RSV is a common, contagious virus that can lead to potentially serious respiratory illness. It causes approximately 177,000 hospitalisations and an estimated 14,000 deaths in the US in adults aged 65 years and older each year.
Older adults, including those with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and chronic heart and lung disease, are at increased risk of severe RSV illness and drive the majority of RSV hospitalisations.
Moving forward, GSK is submitting data for US approval for the drug to be used among 50-59 year olds by the end of 2023.
