Industry Watch [to 4 April 2015]
:: GSK to establish global vaccines R&D centre in the US
02 April 2015 Issued: London and Philadelphia, PA
New hub based in Rockville, MD expands GSK’s global vaccines R&D footprint
GSK announced today it is further strengthening and expanding its vaccines presence in the US by establishing a new global centre for vaccines research and development (R&D) in Rockville, Maryland. The site will become one of three global vaccines R&D centres for GSK, complementing the company’s existing global R&D centres in Rixensart, Belgium and in Siena, Italy, a site which GSK recently acquired from Novartis in March 2015.

The new US vaccines R&D centre will expand GSK’s efforts to discover and develop novel vaccines across a range of pressing public health threats, including those relevant to the US. It will consolidate vaccines R&D activities currently conducted at other GSK sites including in Philadelphia, PA and Cambridge, MA, into one centralised location. Key late stage development programmes, as well as vaccine discovery and new platform technology development will be led from Rockville…

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:: GSK statement on meningitis vaccination in the UK
29 March 2015 Issued: London
GSK is delighted to have reached an agreement with the UK’s Department of Health that will enable babies in the UK to receive its meningitis B vaccine through the NHS immunisation schedule.

We have moved rapidly to conclude negotiations since we acquired the vaccine from Novartis at the beginning of March.

We believe the agreement we have reached offers fair value for the NHS and allows a reasonable return for GSK to ensure that we can continue to invest in creating new treatments and vaccines.

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:: Pfizer to Cease Vaccine Sales Business in China
License not renewed for Prevenar, which protects toddlers against pneumococcal disease
By Laurie Burkitt
Wall Street Journal Updated April 2, 2015 12:03 p.m. ET
SHANGHAI—Pfizer Inc. is ceasing vaccine sales operations in China after the Chinese government failed to renew an import license for one of its products, a move that the company said will cause a shortage of the treatment in China.

Pfizer said in a statement Thursday that the license had expired for Prevenar, sold as Prevnar in the U.S. The vaccine protects toddlers against pneumococcal disease that can lead to pneumonia and other infections,. “Based on a careful assessment of this situation, we have decided to cease our Vaccines commercial operations in China at this time, effective immediately,” the statement said. The vaccine is Pfizer’s No. 2-selling franchise globally, behind the Lyrica pain drug.

The vaccine operations will close immediately, affecting 200 employees who work in the division, a statement from the company said, adding that “most colleagues will be impacted” by the closure. Pfizer, which has 9,000 employees in China, will help the affected employees find other positions within the company, the statement said.

The spokeswoman declined to disclose why the vaccine’s license wasn’t renewed. Regulators at China’s Food and Drug Administration weren’t immediately available for comment.