GlaxoSmithKline may lose $60 million vaccine contract in Russia

UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) may consider the possibility of filing a petition to the Russian court with the complaint on the conditions of the forthcoming tender for the purchases of anti-pneumococcal vaccines for state needs in Russia, according to the Russian Ministry of Health, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

According to an official spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Health, two global majors: GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) were among the main bidders for the supplies of anti-pneumococcal vaccine for state needs this year, however there is a possibility that GSK will not be allowed to participate in the tender, valued at 3.9 billion roubles (~$60 million), due to the non-compliance of its Synfloriks vaccine with the conditions of the tender.

The results of the preliminary study, conducted by the Russian Ministry of Health, demonstrated the efficiency of Synfloriks against only 10 pneumococcus serotypes, compared to 13 in the case of the Prevenar 13 vaccine, which is produced by Pfizer. That means GSK’s application will be noncompetitive during the forthcoming tender process.