People and the industry have learned a lot about pandemic management by living through COVID-19. Governments all throughout the world are placing a greater emphasis on pandemic preparedness.
In that respect, GSK is assisting 12 European nations in being ready for potential influenza pandemics in the future. Through a framework agreement it signed with the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) of the European Commission to retain future production and supply of 85 million doses of the vaccine, the company consented to to provide its pandemic influenza vaccine Adjupanrix to these nations.
Despite the fact that influenza pandemics are difficult to anticipate, HERA entered into the agreement to increase Europe’s capacity for responding to medical emergencies. In addition to the HERA agreement, GSK has previously reached deals with the United States, Canada, and the World Health Organization (WHO) aggregating a minimum of 200 million doses of pandemic influenza vaccinations.
The U.S. accord, which enlarged the country’s stockpile in February, was backed by a renewed agreement for a WHO supply in June. Then, earlier this month, GSK agreed to buy seasonal and pandemic vaccinations from the Canadian government.
The demand for GSK’s vaccine lineup caused the company to raise its sales growth forecast from between 5% and 7% to between 6% and 8%. Vaccines increased GSK’s revenues by 3% this quarter. In the July 27th second-quarter earnings call, GSK CEO Emma Walmsley referred to her company’s total vaccine business as a great strategic strength.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have acted to stockpile vaccines. In April, GSK and CureVac agreed to supply mRNA vaccines through 2029 as part of a German pandemic preparedness strategy. After a minimum two-year setup time, the agreement will allow the firms to distribute 80 million mRNA shots annually for the balance of the current pandemic or in subsequent infectious disease outbreaks.
