by Michael Erman

LONDON: A committee of external experts in the US CDC A vote is to be held on whether to expand the age group of adults who should get this benefit respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine this year, GSK Battles rivals Pfizer and new entrants Modern To maintain its top position in the market.

Advisory Committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccination Practices The meeting will be held from Wednesday through Friday to consider and make recommendations on who should receive the RSV, influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, and how strong these recommendations should be.

Although the CDC generally follows the committee’s vote, the final decision rests with the agency’s director.

Last year, GSK’s Arixvi and Pfizer’s Abrisvo competed fiercely for adults over age 60. GSK captured two-thirds of the market, largely due to its contracts with retail pharmacies, including CVSModerna received approval for its vaccine, mRESVIA, for the same age group last month.

This autumn, GSK will receive FDA approval to expand the use of its vaccine to adults ages 50 to 59, making it the first vaccine approved for that age group.

Pfizer said it has submitted data on its vaccine for adults ages 18 to 59 and expects to receive expanded approval as early as the fourth quarter.

“Reaching the 50-to-59 age group early is quite meaningful,” said Evan Wang, an analyst at Guggenheim Partners.

“Not only will this add 10 to 15 million more high-risk individuals to the total number, but it is also important because … it may give them leverage in negotiating contracts with retail pharmacies,” Wang said.

Unlike GSK, Pfizer began the contract session with FDA approval for its vaccine for pregnant women to protect their babies. Last year, it did not receive maternal approval until late August, after the vaccination campaign had begun.

RSV typically causes cold-like symptoms, but it is also a leading cause of pneumonia in children and the elderly, resulting in 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths each year in the United States.

Combined revenue for the Pfizer and GSK vaccines exceeded $2.4 billion in their first year of availability.

Analysts, on average, expect sales of $1.59 billion this year for GSK’s RSV shot, $1.47 billion for Pfizer and $370 million for Moderna.

Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla acknowledged that Abrisvo had a “bad start” last year, and company executives have said they are focused on improving its performance.

Pfizer recently won a contract to supply around 5 million doses of its vaccine to the UK over the next two years. UK-based GSK said it was disappointed not to have been selected for the contract.

Trials have found that protection provided by the Pfizer and GSK vaccines lasts for at least two RSV sessions.

Analysts believe the market will grow from 2023, as companies have been selling vaccines directly to consumers since last year.

“They certainly had an easy time of it last year,” said Morningstar analyst Damian Conover.

Guggenheim’s Wang said he expects the market to be worth between $2.5 billion and $3 billion this year. (Reporting by Michael Erman; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot)