GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK India) on Monday announced the much awaited launch of its globally top-selling shingles vaccine Shingrix in India, at one-third of the US price.

In the US, the vaccine costs about $450 for two doses.

The adult vaccine recommended for people aged 50 years and above, provides protection against shingles – a disease associated with debilitating pain and rashes caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV). VZV is the same virus that causes chickenpox.

GSK says clinical trials have demonstrated Shingrix efficacy of over 90%, and the two doses taken at a gap of 2-6 months can provide protection for at least 10 years against the disease. “There is a very clear unmet need for Shingles management, and that’s the unmet need we want to fill up by launching Shingrix in India,” said Bhushan Akshikar, managing director, GSK India. Shingrix has been a huge success for GSK, the vaccine alone contributed 3 billion (₹30,000 crore), out of the British drugmaker’s 29.3 billion in revenue in 2022.

The launch of Shingrix comes at a time when its vaccine business has underperformed for the past couple of years as pediatric vaccination rates in private market dropped due to Covid pandemic related disruptions and also the government’s expanded coverage to include pneumococcal, rotavirus vaccines impacted its sales.

Akshikar says he sees huge opportunity for the Shingrix vaccine in India, despite low awareness on adult vaccination in India. He estimates that around 26 crore people are 50 years and above in India, who are potentially eligible to take the vaccine. Data shows that at least 1 out of 3 people may develop shingles in a lifetime.

“Even three years ago adult vaccination as a concept didn’t exist in India, one silverlining of Covid is the whole awareness of adult vaccination, that’s exactly the area where we will play, in the short to medium term there is lot of hard work we have to do,” Akshikar said.