GSK-3858279

GSK is setting aside a mid-stage 24-valent pneumococcal vaccine program for adults to instead focus on a preclinical option that covers 30-plus valents, the company announced Wednesday alongside its third-quarter earnings. The decision reflects “increased competition” in the pneumococcal space, a GSK spokesperson told Endpoints News. A 30-valent product for adults would put GSK in rivalry with Vaxcyte’s 31-valent candidate, which read out positive Phase 1/2 results last month. Vaxcyte said at the time that it plans to launch a Phase 3 study in mid-2025. Pfizer, which has also been a fierce competitor in the pneumococcal space, said earlier this week that it has a preclinical 30-plus-valent vaccine in the works. GSK expects to take its 30-plus candidate to the clinic next year, CSO Tony Wood said during a call with investors. The company is still developing a 24-valent candidate for use in children. Elsewhere, GSK culled three other Phase 2 programs, including an anti-CCL17 antibody for osteoarthritis pain, dubbed GSK3858279, and a gonorrhea candidate, called GSK4348413. The spokesperson said an interim Phase 2 analysis for the gonorrhea asset in patients at high risk of infection “did not meet our pre-defined efficacy criteria.” The spokesperson added that there were no safety concerns. The UK pharma also discontinued a Phase 2 program for Herpes simplex virus, GSK3943104, which “did not meet the study’s primary efficacy objective” in the Phase 2 portion of a Phase 1/2 trial. That decision was previously announced in September.