Shingles Vaccine Sales Decreased 4%

GSK plc today announced that its market-leading herpes zoster vaccine, Shingrix®, produced £0.8 billion in sales during the second quarter of 2024, which is 4% less than the previous period.

On July 31, 2024, GSK revealed that Shingrix sales did increase YTD.

In the United States, sales in the quarter decreased by 36% at AER and CER, reflecting channel inventory reductions and changes in retail vaccine prioritization in part due to a transition to a new CMS rule that changed how pharmacies process reimbursements from payers.

In addition, lower demand in the U.S. was driven by challenges activating harder-to-reach consumers, which remains a priority.

At the end of Q1 2024, the cumulative immunization penetration rate reached 37% of the more than 120 million adults currently recommended by the U.S. CDC to receive Shingrix.

Internationally, Shingrix sales grew significantly in the quarter and YTD.

Markets outside the U.S. now represent 64% of Q2 2024 global sales (Q2 2023: 46%), with Shingrix launched in 45 countries. The majority of these markets have average cumulative immunization rates below 5%

This increase was driven by a national immunization program in Australia, regional funding in Japan, and supply to co-promotion partners in China, despite phasing some expected sales into Q3.

In Europe, Shingrix grew in the quarter and YTD from expanded public funding, partly offset by declining demand in Germany.

Shingles is a painful skin rash caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox, says the U.S. CDC. If you've had chickenpox, you are at risk for shingles. This long-lasting pain is called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the most common complication of shingles.

The CDC says the risk of getting shingles and PHN increases as people age.