Pfizer RSV vaccine lags GSK’s as head-to-head competition underway

investing.com:

By Michael Erman

(Reuters) — Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), which dominated COVID vaccine sales, now finds itself looking up at GSK, whose rival new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine has surged to an early lead since the shots launched this summer.

GSK accounts for close to two-thirds of RSV shots given in the United States since early September, according to IQVIA data seen by Reuters.

The British drugmaker's early advantage may be tied to its positioning as the lone RSV shot offered by CVS Health (NYSE:CVS), the biggest pharmacy chain in the U.S. and a dominant player in the retail vaccine market, analysts and industry experts say.

Price may also be playing a role, according to independent pharmacists. GSK's lists at a slight discount.

Pfizer and GSK will provide more clarity on demand for the shots when they report third-quarter financial results on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. While early analyst sales estimates are in the low hundred millions range for 2023, both companies have said their shots could become multibillion-dollar sellers.

    «What CVS does will have broader market implications than what its potential competitors do, just as a function of its size, and we believe that extends into vaccines,» said Ben Link, vice president of pharmacy at healthcare research firm 46brooklyn.

Link said CVS is the nation's largest retail buyer of pharmaceuticals and «they get a better price by consolidating their purchases.»

    Both shots won U.S. approval for use in adults age 60 and over in May. Pfizer's was also recently approved for pregnant women to protect their babies.

    Both companies hope vaccine sales will help offset lost revenue as older medicines like Pfizer's breast cancer treatment Ibrance and GSK’s HIV drug Dovato