Glaxo halts trial of respiratory virus maternal vaccine candidate

GlaxoSmithKline said on Monday that it had halted enrolment and vaccination in three trials being carried out to evaluate its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine candidate in pregnant women.

"Further analysis to better understand safety data from these trials is ongoing, and the relevant regulatory authorities have been informed," the company said.

It added that the decision does not impact the ongoing phase III trial for RSV in adults aged 60 and above. "This trial remains on track with an anticipated data readout in the first half of 2022," Glaxo said.

The pharmaceuticals company had already announced earlier this month that it had voluntarily paused enrolment in a trial evaluating an experimental vaccine against RSV in pregnant women.

It said at the time that the decision was made "following a recommendation from the Independent Data Monitoring Committee based on an observation from a routine safety assessment".