GSK taps patient data from 88 million residents to expand vaccine benefits research

GSK is channelling patient data from the Greater Bay Area's 88 million residents to inform healthcare policy and expand treatment applications, with the pharmaceutical firm committing financial sponsorship and investment in shared data infrastructure, according to a senior executive.

Data to support regulatory expansion

Nicholas Teo, GSK Hong Kong and Macau general manager, said patient data was critical because it could form "supplementary evidence" to support regulatory filings and potential label expansions, and also help to "discover benefits other than the medication itself".

He cited vaccines as one example, noting that while their effectiveness against target diseases such as flu, shingles and respiratory syncytial virus was well established, researchers were increasingly studying potential benefits relating to cardiovascular health and neurological outcomes. These findings might help generate additional evidence and insights for future healthcare decision-making, Teo said.

GSK's therapeutic focus areas

Teo said GSK's expertise lay in vaccination and disease prevention, citing shingles and respiratory syncytial virus as key areas, with the viral liver infection hepatitis B another area of focus. He added that GSK also had a growing oncology and haematology portfolio.

Partnership and data access model

GSK would provide financial sponsorship for the HKU-led study and was also investing in shared data infrastructure, Teo said. The company could access patient data through the partnership, such as data coming from hospitals and government agencies, but pharmaceutical companies did not have direct access to it on their own, he added.

The Greater Bay Area is a Chinese government scheme aimed at integrating Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in mainland China's Guangdong province into a single economic and business hub. Their combined gross domestic product last year was more than US$2.23 trillion, according to official data.

Source: South China Morning Post