After losing round one of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine bout with GSK, Pfizer is rallying. And what better way to do it than to win a major contract in your rival’s home country?
The U.K. government has selected Pfizer to supply 5 million doses of its RSV shot Abrysvo over the next two years. The notice was posted earlier this month on the U.K. government's "Find a Tender" website, with the contract value withheld “so as not to prejudice the legitimate commercial interest of the supplier,” it explained.
On Monday morning, the U.K. introduced its RSV immunization program, with instructions on how patients can receive their shots of Abrysvo. The vaccine is expected to become available in early August, the U.K. said.
It’s a big win for the U.S. company which has been playing catch-up against its rival since GSK became the first drugmaker to score an FDA approval in the indication in May of last year for its shot Arexvy. Four weeks later, Pfizer gained its nod.
The head-start gave GSK a key edge in commercializing its shot last year as it reported revenue of Arexvy at 1.238 billion pounds ($1.5 billion), compared to $890 million for Abrysvo, with most of the sales for both companies coming in the U.S.
In the fourth quarter of last year, however, Pfizer showed its was making progress as its sales of Abrysvo increased sequentially from $375 million to $515 million. The boost was aided by an FDA approval of Abrysvo in August to vaccinate pregnant mothers.
Arexvy’s approval was limited to adults ages 60 and older before it was expanded earlier this month to at-risk adults ages 50 and older.
In July of last year, Sanofi and AstraZeneca scored a green light for Beyfortus to protect babies up to 24 months of age.
In the U.S., Pfizer lists Abrysvo’s wholesale acquisition (PDF) cost at $295 per shot compared to $280 for Arexvy (PDF).
The performance of the vaccines is comparable. In year one, while Arexvy has shown 94% effectiveness at protecting against severe disease, Abrysvo's trial result came in at 89%.