In August, GSK published data from the ZOSTER-076 phase IV trial showing that Shingrix demonstrated 100% vaccine efficacy in preventing shingles in Chinese adults aged 50 and over.

Luke Miels, chief commercial officer of GSK, said: “This partnership is consistent with our focus on products with a high and durable level of differentiation. It materially expands the number of Chinese adults who can benefit from Shingrix and includes the option to extend the collaboration to include our novel RSV vaccine Arexvy.”

Subject to the terms of the deal, Zhifei will purchase agreed volumes of Shingrix with a value to GSK of £2.5 billion in total over the initial three-year period. These volumes are expected to be phased over this time as demand is anticipated to accelerate steadily through the period. The partnership can be extended should both parties agree. With this partnership, GSK said it aims to achieve its goal of doubling Shingrix's global sales and reaching more than £4 billion by 2026.

As part of the agreement, Zhifei has granted GSK the right of first refusal to be the exclusive partner for the co-development and commercialization of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for older adults in China, opening the possibility for the companies to collaborate on Arexvy after approval in China.