Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has released a new advert for its meningitis vaccine that targets parents, and will hopefully spread awareness of meningitis B, as kids return to college (where communal lifestyles increase risk of contracting the disease). The add shows a young woman lying in a dorm bed with a female voice-over that speaks to the parents watching: “This is not just a headache. This is not just a fever. This is not just the flu. It’s meningitis B, and you’re not there to help.”
GlaxoSmithKline’s share price has risen by 6% so far this year
Source: Yahoo Finance
There is an increasing push amongst paediatricians in the US to raise awareness with teens at their 16-year-old catch-up about meningitis B. A recent statement from the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, John Cullen, read: “The 16-year-old visit is the perfect opportunity for the physician to administer the second dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY), the flu vaccine, and discuss the MenB vaccine.” Despite this, it remains an under-vaccinated disease.
GSK provides one of two vaccines for the disease, Bexsero, which is the market-leader, and garnered sales of £584 million last year. However, with sales slowing and awareness increasing, now is undoubtedly the time for the company to champion its solution.
A spokesperson for the company made the following statement: “The need for education is great. GSK takes seriously our role as a partner in protecting public health and is committed to providing vaccines for vaccine-preventable diseases, including meningitis B. We are also committed to providing the critical education required for all stakeholders—public health officials, health care providers and patients— about this uncommon but potentially fatal disease so that patients and health care professionals can have discussions about vaccination options.”
Disclosure
Dominion holds GlaxoSmithKline in its Global Trends Managed Fund.
Author: Theo Leworthy
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