(Bloomberg) -- GSK Plc’s experimental vaccine for herpes failed in an early-stage trial, halting an effort to bring the first shot for the condition to market.
While there were no safety concerns, the trial for a therapeutic vaccine to treat the herpes simplex virus didn’t meet its efficacy objective, the British drugmaker said in a statement Wednesday.
There are currently no approved vaccines for the virus, which causes genital herpes, although there is a shot for the herpes virus that causes chickenpox.
GSK’s shares fell about 1% in early London trading. It had risen by around 15% this year.
The study’s failure isn’t expected to impact the company’s outlook for the short to medium term as sales of the shot had not yet been baked into revenue projections. Still, it’s a blow for the drugmaker, which has zeroed in on vaccine development and been buoyed by its success with its vaccine for a common respiratory illness.
There’s still a need for innovation given the unmet need associated with genital herpes, GSK said Wednesday.
It might not be the end of the road for the company’s herpes vaccine development. GSK intends to evaluate the data from the study as well as others to progress future research and development of its herpes simplex virus program.
(Updates with share price change in paragraph four)
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
