J&J abandonment leaves others to fight out RSV vaccine race

US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) has made the bold move of halting its investigational respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) adult vaccine program and discontinuing its Phase III EVERGREEN study.

The group's Janssen subsidiary said in a statement that the decision was ‘part of a broader effort to make strategic choices for its pipeline and research and development (R&D) investments to focus on medicines with the greatest potential benefit to patients.’

"By periodically refocusing our portfolio, Janssen ensures that we are deeply invested in products that have the power to transform patients’ lives"J&J will have noted the progress of competitors in the RSV vaccine field. The candidates from US pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and UK drugmaker GSK (LSE: GSK) appear on the brink of approval. Both have impressed in late-stage trials and have been backed for authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, despite some concerns around the jabs increasing risks of rare nervous system disorders such as Guillain-Barre syndrome.