Bavarian Nordic ends RSV vaccine programme after poor trial results

(Reuters) -Denmark-based Bavarian Nordic said on Saturday it was ending its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine programme as its Phase 3 clinical trial did not meet all the primary goals of preventing lower respiratory tract disease.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can also lead to serious illness and hospitalisation. The market for RSV vaccines could exceed $10 billion by 2030, according to analysts.

Bavarian Nordic in April last year began a late-stage trial for its RSV vaccine in volunteers aged 60 and older. But during the final study, the vaccine candidate showed a lower efficacy rate and missed the "co-primary endpoint", the company said.

Due to these results, the company decided it would discontinue the programme, including its partnership with China-based Nuance Pharma which it entered into in March last year, to develop and launch the vaccine for selected Asian markets.

"We are disappointed that our RSV vaccine candidate was not successful in this pivotal trial," said Paul Chaplin, Chief Executive Officer of Bavarian Nordic.

This comes after Pfizer received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's nod for its RSV vaccine for older adults, nearly a month after GSK's shot was approved by the regulator.

(Reporting by Baranjot Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Nick Macfie)