GSK poaches new vaccines head from Pfizer in renewed focus on mRNA, RSV

GlaxoSmithKline PLC, the U.K. drugmaker on the cusp of separating its consumer arm from the core pharmaceuticals and vaccine business, has appointed a new head of vaccine research and development from Pfizer Inc. in a move to build up its messenger RNA capabilities.

As chief scientific officer in charge of Pfizer's viral vaccines R&D portfolio, Phil Dormitzer was responsible for two respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, shots — now in phase 3 clinical trials — and for the New York-based company's RNA-based flu vaccine candidate, developed with Germany's BioNTech SE. BioNTech and Pfizer also jointly developed Comirnaty, the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine.

Dormitzer will join GSK as global head of vaccines R&D on Dec. 3, based in the Greater Boston area and reporting to GSK's chief scientific officer and head of R&D Hal Barron. Dormitzer replaces Emmanuel Hanon, who left the company in April to join microbiome group Viome Inc.

One of the largest vaccine companies in the world, GSK fell behind in the race to tackle COVID-19 after an early setback in its joint venture with France's Sanofi. The British company, which provides an adjuvant to boost a vaccine's efficacy, now has three COVID-19 shots in late-stage trials with partners including South Korea's SK bioscience Co.Ltd. and Canada's Medicago Inc.

GSK CEO Emma Walmsley said the biopharma group was looking to include mRNA as another technology platform in its vaccine business, having struck two deals with Tübingen, Germany-based CureVac NV last year. GSK made a €150 million equity investment in CureVac — a pioneer in the mRNA space after two decades of work on the emerging vaccine technology — in July 2020 after agreeing to co-develop five mRNA vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for infectious disease.

"Certainly, this is an indication of us investing more in mRNA," a GSK spokesperson told S&P Global Market Intelligence on Nov. 30.

At a June 23 strategy update to defend the robustness of GSK's pipeline of new medicines and vaccines, Walmsley highlighted its 16 vaccine candidates in late-stage development — including five that could potentially launch by 2026, notably its late-stage RSV vaccine. Among the 20 vaccines and 42 medicines in the company's pipeline, 11 late-stage assets are forecast to achieve peak annual sales of over £20 billion, Walmsley said.

"The importance of vaccines has never been clearer, and the pace of technological innovation has rarely been greater," R&D chief Barron said in the statement. "GSK has an industry-leading pipeline of vaccines and Phil's scientific expertise and significant experience with key innovative technologies, such as mRNA, structure-based antigen design and synthetic biology, will be key to ensuring we remain a leader in this field."

Among the advantages of mRNA vaccines is the ability to scale up production very rapidly, as demonstrated by Pfizer and Moderna Inc.'s successful COVID-19 vaccine programs. The technology also enables vaccines to be quickly developed to counter new strains, with both companies announcing most recently that they are developing shots against the omicron variant of the virus.

Beyond COVID-19 — the only condition for which mRNA shots have so far been authorized — the technology may struggle to differentiate itself from existing vaccines with high efficacy, such as those for meningitis, shingles and human papillomavirus, Jefferies analyst Peter Welford said in a June note. For example, an mRNA approach to RSV is unlikely to have a higher probability of success than GSK's existing vaccine for the virus, which is awaiting approval in the first half of 2022, Welford added.