GlaxoSmithKline filed an application with the Food and Drug Administration Monday for its experimental shingles vaccine Shingrix, according to Bloomberg.
Here are four things to know.
- Shingrix, intended to prevent shingles and its complications, is administered in two doses and intended for adults over 50.
- If approved, Shingrix could generate about $779 million in sales for the British drugmaker by 2020, according to the average of eight analyst estimates calculated by Bloomberg.
- Once on the market, the vaccine would compete with Kenilworth, N.J.-based Merck's shingles vaccine Zostavax.
- According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last month, GSK's vaccine protects patients from shingles for at least four years, while Merck's vaccine loses efficacy over time. Study participants vaccinated with Shingrix had an 88 percent lower risk of developing shingles in the fourth year after vaccination, while those vaccinated with Zostavax had a 70 percent lower risk, according to the study.
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