speaker
Operator
Moderator

Ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome to the GSK full year 2025 results call. I'm delighted to be joined today by Luke Miles, Nina Moyas, Deborah Waterhouse, Tony Wood and Julie Brown. And in our Q&A session, we will be joined by David Redfern. Today's call will last approximately one hour with the presentation taking around 30 minutes and the remaining time for your questions. Please ask only one to two questions so that everyone has a chance to participate. Before we start, please turn to slide three. This is the usual safe harbour statement. We will comment on our performance using constant exchange rates, or CR, unless otherwise stated. I will now hand over to Luke.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Thank you and welcome everyone. My introduction today will have two parts. Headline results for 2025, and are key focus areas in 2026 to drive value. Starting with 2025, results were strong. Sales were up 7% to more than 32 billion pounds. Growth was driven by specialty medicines, which were up 17%, with vaccines also contributing. Core operating profit grew 11% and EPS was up 12%. Cash generation was strong at 8.9 billion pounds, supporting future investment and returns to shareholders. enabling the dividend upgrade of 2p to 66 pence declared today. R&D output remained very positive with five FDA approvals and seven new pivotal trial starts. And we maintained our high standards for being a responsible business. Looking forwards, we expect another year of profitable growth reflected in the guidance given today. Next slide, please. In 2026, we expect momentum to continue and we'll get there by focusing on execution and operational delivery. There are three areas where we're focused. The first is driving top line growth by maximising launch products like BlendRep and Accenture, and ensuring success in overall operational execution. Second, accelerating key assets in our late stage portfolio, like B7H3, B7H4, and Veldathinib in Oncology, and Effie in MASH, and in our earlier portfolio, like the ultra-long-acting T-slip for respiratory diseases and regimen selection for our six-monthly treatment for HIV. And third, continue to execute business development, where we see a clear pathway to value creation, and our recent addition of the food allergy IgE antibody, oziracrubat, is consistent with this. Underpinning this will be a drive to simplify how we work with greater pace, accountability and focus. And this starts by matching our best people and resources to the best opportunities to create value. Linked to this, changes have already been made to the executive team, bringing on commercial leaders with deep industry experience to increase our focus on products and execution. And this includes Nina Moyes, our new head of global product strategy, who I worked with for a number of years at AstraZeneca and Roche, who will present the commercial update. And importantly, we'll have an increased focus on leveraging practical use of AI and technology. And I'll now hand over to Nina.

speaker
Nina Moyas
Head of Global Product Strategy

Thanks, Luke. Please turn to the next slide. Overall sales for the year were up 7%, with strong growth driven by specialty up 17%, and another year of growth in all regions. Next slide, please. Respiratory immunology and inflammation full-year sales were up 18%, driven by strong Bendlista and Nucala performance. In the year, Bendlista grew 22%, driven by higher demand and supported by all major guidelines. 82% of U.S. bio-naive patients are now starting on Bendlista due to its differentiated profile with organ damage prevention and more than 14 years of safety and experience. NUCALA grew 15% and delivered 2 billion for the year. This is the 10th consecutive year of double-digit growth for NUCALA. Moving to oncology, sales were up 43%. In the year, Gemperli sales were up 89%, reflecting our differentiated profile in endometrial cancer. OJARA grew 60%, driven by growth in all markets following the new data at IHA, emphasizing the importance of early intervention. And based on these data, NCCN included OJARA as category one for patients with anemia. We expect this to drive uptake in first line, although growth will be slower than what we have seen with second line. Zejula sales decreased reflecting FDA labeling restrictions, and we remain focused on the potential we have for Blendrep, now approved in 15 markets globally. Deborah will cover HIV shortly. Given the continued strong performance and momentum across the specialty portfolio, we are expecting sales to grow low double-digit for 2026. Next slide, please. The strong performance of Nucala in 2025 was driven by our successful launch in COPD. This launch also had a halo effect on all of Nucala's indications, resulting in higher market share in asthma and nasal polyps, also fueling brand growth in 2026. We are applying the lessons from the severe asthma market with Nucala to the launch of Extensure, which is now approved in the US, UK and Japan. We know that there is a significant opportunity in the bio-naive population as only 27% of US-eligible patients are on a biologic. And market research shows that 97% of patients would prefer or like to switch to a biologic with six monthly dosing. And Accenture has demonstrated a 72% reduction in exacerbations leading to hospitalizations in an indication where we know lack of therapy adherence leads to worse clinical outcomes. The second key launch this year is for BlendRep, our off-the-shelf BCMA agent for multiple myeloma, available in the community setting where 70% of patients are treated. We've made fast progress on our launch in the UK and are applying lessons learned in the US, particularly around eye care networks. We've now engaged around 18,000 eye care professionals in the US, enabling smooth collaboration between treating physicians and eye care professionals, and have had positive feedback on the simplification of our RIMS. We continue to expect this to be a slow ramp-up as we support prescribers and patients to ensure a positive first experience and robust adoption. I will now hand over to Deborah to cover HIV.

speaker
Deborah Waterhouse
Head of HIV Business

Thank you, Nina. We enter 2026 confident in our unique position to lead the next transformation in HIV care. Sales growth was 11% in the year, powered by accelerated patient demand for our long-acting injectables and our foundational Oral-2 drug regimen, Devato. Demand continued to increase across all regions, most notably in the US, which grew 14% in 2025, continuing to outpace competition in market share gain. With the only commercially established long-acting HIV treatment regimen, backed by over four years of real-world data, we're delivering long-acting innovation at scale and are delighted with our ongoing portfolio transition to long-acting regimens. In 2025, over 75% of our growth came from long-acting injectables, which now represent around a third of U.S. sales. With treatment accounting for 90% of the total 22 billion HIV market, we are pleased that Cabinuva grew 42% in 2025, fuelled by patient demand and accelerated switches from competitor products, reaching more than 75% in the US this quarter. In long-acting prevention, Aperture grew 62% in 2025, withstanding any impact from a competitor launch. In 2026, we expect continued growth momentum, and so today we are guiding mid to high single-digit growth. This quarter, we also announced Pfizer will exit Veeve, and Shinogi's shareholding will increase, simplifying Veeve's shareholder structure. GSK will maintain the same position. We look forward to continuing our highly successful collaboration to advance our pipeline and portfolio of long-acting HIV medicines. Moving on to our industry-led long-acting pipeline, powered by unmatched patient insight, we are set to deliver transformative launches over the next decade, enabling us to navigate the dollar-time-revealed loss of exclusivity and accelerate long-term growth. We believe twice-yearly treatment presents our most significant commercial opportunity and, through a combination of novel assets, presents the potential to change the HIV treatment paradigm once again. At CROI, we will share data that will help inform our regimen selection for twice-yearly HIV treatment. Starting with VH184, a potential first-in-class third-generation entity with IP protection through to at least 2040. We'll present key data on its unique resistance profile versus a competitor and findings from an ongoing first-time-in-human trial exploring its significant potential for up to twice-yearly dosing. We strongly believe this asset has the power to redefine the long-acting landscape and we remain extremely confident in its potential to become the backbone of our long-acting treatment regimens. To pair with our INSTI once selected, we are evaluating two partners, VH499 and our BNAB N6LS. Data at CROI for VH499 will show potential dosing durations. Forensics LS, one of the broadest and most potent BNABs in development, will share more data focused on Q4M dosing with Q6M dosing data expected this year. This year, we'll also begin Quattro, our phase three registrational study for four monthly HIV treatment. This critical step builds on our Q2M success, and we are on track to file in 2027 and launch in 2028. At launch, we still expect to have the only long action treatment options on the market for years to come. Our strategy is clear and our execution is strong. We are fully confident and well positioned to drive sustained long-term performance and will continue to update you on our Q6M regimen selection. We look forward to introducing you to our new head of R&D, Charlotte Allerton, who will succeed Kim Smith upon her retirement at the end of Q1. I'll now hand back to Nina.

speaker
Nina Moyas
Head of Global Product Strategy

Thanks, Deborah. Turning to vaccines, sales were £9.2 billion in the year, up 2%, driven by European and international region sales of Shingrix and Vexera. Shingrix sales were £3.6 billion, up 8%, driven by Europe and international region, offset by the U.S., In Europe, sales were supported by our focus on comorbid patients, and in the international region, Japan continued to grow following expanded public funding, and in China, we saw similar sales to 2024. In 26, we expect market performance outside of the U.S. and China to benefit Shingreg sales, offset by slowing U.S. immunization rates and our partner in China managing inventory. In meningitis, sales were up 12%, with strong continuous growth across Europe and international, driven primarily by Bexera, up 16% for the year. Bexera demand increased in Europe partly due to MenB outbreaks. XUS represents 69% of Bexera's global full-year sales, demonstrating continued growth from national immunization programs and geographic expansion. In the U.S., we retained Menvi market leadership with 74% market share and have seen positive signs for Penmenvi with initial stock building. Turning to Arexi, sales were up 2% for the year, also driven by ex-U.S. growth. We continue to monitor the evolving pediatric vaccine landscape in the U.S. At this time, insurance coverage remains as before, and we expect the recent HHS changes to be manageable given GSK's broad portfolio of vaccines. For 26, we expect sales growth to be in the range of low single-digit decline to stable. Next slide, please. Turning to GenMed, Sales were slightly down for the year. Strong growth of Trilogy was offset by other respiratory and established products. Globally, Trilogy continues to be the top-selling brand for asthma and COPD. And in the U.S., the seed class is growing, with Trilogy leading in share, driven by gold guidelines and strong execution. In anti-infectives, we are taking the targeted approach to align access to BlueJEPA in uncomplicated UTIs with positive initial insights. And for complicated UTIs, we now have a PDUFA date of 18th of June for tebupenem in the US. Looking forward, we expect sales growth to be in the range of low single-digit decline to stable, reflecting pricing pressures and generic competition of our established portfolio. And in the US, across the broader portfolio, we navigated the impact of the Medicare redesign from the Inflation Reduction Act near the upper end of our 400 to 500 million range. I will now hand over to Tony to talk to you about our progress in R&D.

speaker
Tony Wood
Chief Scientific Officer

Thank you, Nina. Next slide, please. Starting with the pipeline, there's greater focus and opportunity here than ever before. Our top priority is to accelerate development to deliver new products to patients faster. In 2025, we secured five FDA regulatory approvals and started seven new pivotal trials, three for extensure in COPD, two for efemisfermin in MASH, one for velzatinib in second-line GIST, and Rizrez RB7H3ADC in extensive-state small-cell lung cancer. I'm delighted with the progress we're making to deliver the pipeline, shorten development timelines, and access world-leading innovation through BD. Next slide, please. In respiratory, we've extended our leadership through a focus on exacerbation prevention with long-acting treatments and now have approval for Extension, the world's first and only six-monthly biologic to treat patients with severe eosinophilic asthma. Also in respiratory, COPD is a growing area of significant unmet need. A patient hospitalized with an exacerbation has less than a 50% chance of survival over a five-year period, alongside a cost to U.S. healthcare of around $7 billion per year. Our work to understand the role that inflammation plays in chronic airway disease has led to an emerging and differentiated pipeline of long-acting options for COPD patients. Starting with Extentia, the Phase 3 Enduro trials recruit patients at moderate risk of exacerbations, while Vigilant is the first ever study of an antibody for patients at an early stage of disease who are at risk of rapid progression. Our Phase 2 trial investigating the ultra-long-acting T-Cert monoclonal antibody GSK283 in asthma patients is on track to generate data by the end of this year and will further guide development of a six-monthly option for patients with a low T2 phenotype. The portfolio also includes a PD34 inhibitor with potential for DPI use in Phase 1 development in China, complementing our leadership position with Trilogy. Looking now to refractory chronic cough. I'm pleased to confirm that we achieved last patient first visit for the CALM2 study in December, and we're now on track to report phase 3 data from the total program around mid-2026 in line with our prior guidance. We believe canlapixin will provide an effective treatment in RCC where there are no approved therapies in the US and approximately 10 million patients diagnosed globally who could benefit from this medicine. Next slide, please. A focus on inflammatory pathways of disease and how this leads to fibrosis, particularly in the lung, liver and kidney, underpins our development programs in fibro-inflammatory mechanisms. We are pleased with the progress of Afimus-Firman, our potential best-in-class once-monthly FGF21 analog, which started phase 3 trials for MASH last year. As a reminder, in Phase 2, Effie demonstrated sustained improvement in fibrosis and resolution of MASH in patients with F2-F3 stage disease. These data supported the start of our Zenith 1 and 2 pivotal studies. We plan to start the nebular phase 3 studies, which will recruit a more advanced F4 patient population later this year. Also in our hepatology pipeline is GSK990, an siRNA therapeutic targeting HST17B13. Consistent with human genetics of this target, preliminary data from the phase 2 starlight study in alcoholic liver disease demonstrates favorable trends in reduced liver enzymes, despite ongoing alcohol consumption, and this with no emerging safety concerns. These assets have the potential to reverse cirrhosis, where 20 to 50% of patients with associated complications die within one year. Next slide, please. Last month, we were pleased to announce positive results from the Be Well 1 and Be Well 2 studies, our Phase 3 trials of Bipiravircin for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B, a disease which affects more than 250 million people worldwide, causing over 1 million deaths each year. We believe that BEPI has the potential to transform chronic hepatitis B treatment and become the first ever fixed course of therapy with functional cure at a significantly higher rate than today's standard of care. This is important because chronic hepatitis B accounts for around 56% of liver cancer cases, and real-world evidence shows that functional cure reduces this risk by around 90%. We look forward to sharing these data with regulators during the first half of the year and at an upcoming scientific congress. Next slide, please. Our oncology pipeline is a critical part of the portfolio. Starting with Blenrat, we anticipate mature OS data from Dream7 in early 2028 to support second line registration in the US. In the first line, transplant ineligible setting, DREAM-10 is recruiting well and we recently expanded the number of US sites to increase US patient participation. DREAM-10 uses a lower dose when compared to second line studies and evaluates dual endpoints of MRD and PFS. Intram MRD and safety data are expected in early 2028. Also in the first-line setting, we'll start a study looking at Blenrep quad regimen in a younger, fitter population later this year. Moving now to Ajara, we continue to generate data to support decision-making for myelofibrosis patients with anemia, and a Phase II study in myelodysplastic syndrome is currently recruiting. We also continue to develop life-cycle indications for gemperli. Later this year, we anticipate results from a pivotal ASIO1 trial for Gemperli in DMMR . ASIO1 was designed following the publication of transformative data which showed 100% complete clinical response rate in a single-centre monotherapy study. We're excited about Gemperli's potential for patients with this disease. Valsatinib, our kit inhibitor which targets all clinically relevant enzyme mutations, has started Phase 3 in second-line GIST, with first-line to start later this year. Valsatinib has the potential to replace current standard of care, and is designed to offer a well-tolerated schedule with greater efficacy against resistant mutations. Moving now to our other ADCs. Our B7H3 targeting molecule, which I will now call RIS-RES, recently received its fifth regulatory designation with orphan drug status in SCLC. With this transformative potential in mind, we've initiated a global program encompassing multiple solid tumor trials for RIS-RES, called EMBOLD. The first of these studies, in bold SCLC301, has started ex-US recruitment in second and third line. US recruitment will start later this year and include tolatumab-exposed patients. We have extensive plans for additional RIS-RES phase 3 starts in the next 12 to 18 months. In the first half of this year, we also plan to start recruitment for pivotal phase 3 ...trials from MORES, our B7H4 ADC in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, and in patients with recurrent endometrial cancer. We're targeting a conference this year to present interim data from our early phase Behold1 study for patients with ovarian and endometrial cancers, and we anticipate further pivotal study starts for this molecule during 2026. Next slide, please. Business development is a core part of how we're accelerating our pipeline and accessing innovation. Two weeks ago, we announced an agreement to acquire RAP Therapeutics, whose lead asset is Ozurepribod, a potential best-in-class, long-acting anti-IgE monoclonal for food allergy, which is currently in Phase 2. Food allergy is a chronic inflammatory condition with severe reactions leading to anaphylaxis, emergency care, and persistent lifestyle disruption. In the US, severe food allergies impact over 17 million patients with an estimated 33 billion cost of economic burden, underscoring the need for more effective treatment options. We expect the deal to close this quarter and look forward to progressing this important asset into Phase 3 development. Next slide, please. In conclusion, 2025 saw further strong momentum in the pipeline, which continues into 2026. We have critical data readouts to come for BEPI, CAMLI, Gemperli, Q4M PrEP, and Xtensia for eGPA. We also have 10 pivotal starts planned for this year, including more than five from our ADCs, two for advanced MASH, and Quattro, our Q4M treatment phase three trial for HIV, all of which are supporting our growth in specialty medicines. I'm excited about our progress and our prospects. I'll now hand over to Julie.

speaker
Julie Brown
Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Tony, and good afternoon, everyone. Next slide, please. Starting with the income statement for the full year with growth rate stated at CER. As highlighted, sales grew 7%, whilst core operating profit grew 11%. This leverage was primarily driven by a 3% increase in SG&A as investment in product launches was balanced with productivity improvements. Additionally, royalty income benefited from the RSVIP settlement, the new MR&A royalty streams and consent to performance. An R&D growth of 11% reflects our acceleration of investment across multiple key specialty assets. Core EPS grew 12% supported by the share buyback and lower interest expense due to strong operating cash flows. And finally, turning to total results, growth primarily reflects the impact of the Zontac charge taken in 2024. Next slide, please. The operating margin increased 110 basis points in 2025, bringing total accretion at CER to 470 BIPs over the last four years. This increase was primarily driven by SG&A margin improvement of 90 bps, whilst gross margin continued to benefit from the portfolio transition towards specialty, growing 40 basis points. R&D expenditure increased as we reinvested the additional royalty income into our pipeline to support the initiation of the Phase 3 FMS Furman trials and prepared pivotal trials for the ADCs and multiple indications. Incorporated within this margin improvement were core charges of £300 million taken in Q4, split evenly across supply chain and SG&A to drive productivity benefits. And currency was a headwind to margin, lowering the reported margin to 29.9% for the year. Next slide, please. Turning to the cash flow, cash generated from operations was £8.9 billion, or more than £10 billion excluding Zantac payments, up £1.6 billion year-on-year, driven by higher operating profit, favourable RAR movements and the CureVac settlement, partially offset by increased trade receivables. free cash flow increased to £4 billion, or more than £5 billion, excluding Zantac, driven by a strong CGFO. Zantac payments in 2025 were £1.2 billion, and the settlement process is now materially complete, with £1.9 billion paid in total, drawing a line under this matter. Next slide, please. Turning to capital allocation. Underlying free cash generation was strong at over $8 billion before investment decisions. $4.5 billion was deployed in CapEx and BD as we added three potentially best-in-class clinical stage specialty assets to the pipeline and completed multiple early stage and platform deals. Shareholder distributions totaled $4 billion through the dividend and the share buyback. with 93 million shares repurchased at an average price of 1473 and the remaining 0.6 of a billion will be completed in half one. Overall, our balance sheet remains strong with net debt to EBITDA relatively stable year on year at 1.3 times, including the absorption of Zantac and the buyback. Next slide, please. Now, turning to the guidance for 2026 with growth rates stated at CER. Starting with our headline guidance, we expect sales growth of 3% to 5%, core operating profit and core EPS to both grow at 7% to 9%, and to pay a dividend of 70 pence, a 6% increase. Product area growth is once again led by specialty at a low double-digit percentage growth, including mid to high single-digit growth for HIV. Vaccines and GenMed are both expected to be a low single-digit decline to stable, and we expect sales growth to be evenly phased through the year. Turning to the P&L, gross margin is expected to continue to benefit from supply chain efficiencies and the portfolio transition towards specialty. SG&A will grow at a low single-digit percentage, benefiting from the acceleration of productivity initiatives. And R&D will continue to grow ahead of sales as we invest to advance the pipeline. Interest charges and the tax rate are expected to increase year on year. However, these will be offset by the benefits of the share buyback to EPS. Importantly, the phasing of operating profit growth will be heavily weighted towards the second half, reflecting the £300 million of charges taken in Q4-25 and impacted by the annualisation of the RSV settlement in the second quarter. Additionally, currency could be a headwind. If rates hold at the closing rates on the 28th of January, we would expect an impact of minus 3% on sales and minus 6% on operating profit. Next slide, please. Before I finish, I wanted to take a moment to share the continued performance of the business. In 2021, we provided outlooks on four financial KPIs for the five-year period to 2026. we have delivered consistent revenue growth and improvements in operational efficiency. We are on track to deliver against all the four KPIs. Taking the midpoint of our 2026 guidance ranges would lead to delivery of 8% sales and 13% operating profit CAGR over this period. Additionally, cash generation has been significantly enhanced and we're on track to reach more than £10 billion in 2026. This, together with shareholder returns and a strengthened balance sheet, lay strong foundations for the next phase of growth. Our usual IR roadmap is shown in the appendix, signalling the major value inflections in 2026 and 2027. Thank you, and with that I am pleased to hand back to Luke.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Thanks, Julie. Looking forward, I see two clear things we need to do to create value for shareholders. The first one is top line. This means delivering on our ambition for 2031 and addressing the loss of dollar trigger via exclusivity. The second is the pipeline. We need to accelerate what we have and add to it via smart BD. And we also need our labs to produce more competitive products. So to do these two things, we need to evolve as a company. Products are the key in this business and we need to be more product centric. And to accelerate the pipeline, we need to have more scientific courage and be more agile to capitalise on opportunities when we see them. Each quarter, you'll hear more detail about how we're going to make this happen. Next slide, please. To conclude, 2025 was a strong year for GSK. For 2026, we're going for another year of top-line growth and operating leverage. And for the long term, we know what we need to do to create value for shareholders and patients. and the focus is now on evolving the company to do it. Thank you, and we'll now move to Q&A.

speaker
David Redfern
Head of Investor Relations

Thank you, Luke. With this, we are ready for the Q&A, and the first question comes from James Baldwin from Barclays. Please, go ahead.

speaker
James Gordon
Analyst (Barclays)

Hello, James Gordon from Barclays. Thanks for taking the questions. First one, respiratory. Can you elaborate on R&D and commercial strategy in COPD and asthma? Because you've now got Nucala, Extensa, and then IL-33 and T-slip all in development, but some overlapping products. I don't want to double count. So how do we think about segmenting this, given you've got products going for the same disease, and then also quite a lot of these mechanisms also have multiple competitors also looking at them for the same diseases? The second question was HIV, and I heard the comments on long-acting, strong uptake and exciting next-generation data at CROI. So when could we see the six-monthly treatment and PrEP phase 3 trials start now? And commercially, what is the implications of the four-month and six-monthly in terms of your TAM? Because I've seen before you've talked about the majority of sales in HIV being long-acting in 2031. but then that might partly just because the orals are going to go away by then. So what's the TAM increase if these work? And maybe if I could squeeze in a clarification, the $40 billion plus revenue target, which has been reiterated, is that the original assets or is that also including some of the recent acquisitions you were talking about and the BD you were talking about, please? Great. Thanks, James, and I appreciate the question.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

So, Tony, should we go into COPD and then I might add a little bit of colour At the end of that, in terms of how we position the assets and what our thinking is, it's obviously always dynamic. And then, Deborah, do you want to cover HID? I think we're in very healthy shape there. Some more colour there. And then, Julie, did you want to cover the assumptions around the 40? Again, I'll just take this opportunity, just in case we get any other questions, to reiterate the commitment to the 40. And again, I think we have a clear pathway for that.

speaker
Tony Wood
Chief Scientific Officer

Let me start. Thanks for the question, James. First of all, I'm really pleased with the progress we're making in respiratory. Obviously, just a mark last year, the new color approval in COPD in the middle of the year, and then at the end of the year, extension in severe eosinophilic asthma as the first ultra-long-acting entry in our pipeline. I think what's important to understand about COPD, James, obviously huge opportunity there, 300 million individuals globally, and significant cost to the US healthcare system, as I outlined in the presentation. But it's a complex disease. It's a heterogeneous disease. And that's why we're placing ourselves across a range of different long-acting mechanisms. The way you can think about it is there is the high EO population. This is where IL-5 and Xtensia and Eukala are positioned. And again, let me just emphasize there that we have a label which covers both the bronchitic and the emphysemic and mixed populations. Important when one considers the reality of the hospital admission for a COPD patient. You can then think about the intermediate T2 population, which is the 150 to 300. We were delighted to see the new CARLA label there, but that's where we see, for example, our long-acting T-slip starting to play increasingly in the future, and then the low T2 population, and that's where we're positioning IL-33. So what we have, of course, is already starting in that high T2 population, the Endura 1 and 2 studies, that's the Gold E population that we're looking at, and the Vigilant study, which, as I mentioned in the script, looks as a brand-new approach, looking at rapid progressives in that high eosinophil population. We also have ongoing phase one and phase two studies for the long-acting T-slips and IL-33 mechanisms in the context of the stratification that I described. And then just to finish off, we'll be expecting in both of those to be starting pivotal studies over the next two to three years once we have been informed by ongoing phase one and phase two work and competitor insights. And then lastly, just to finish off, important to emphasize, we also have the HRS9821 molecule, which is the first nominated candidate from our Hongbui collaboration. That's focused on dyspnea, which is pain associated with breathing and fits nicely into our phthalogy portfolio, given that that molecule has an opportunity. to be a BPI-administered agent. And then lastly, in the low group, we have the recent deal we did with Empirico, Empirico 012, and that's now called GSK821. That's a long-acting oligarch which is aimed at a broad spectrum, as I indicated. We haven't disclosed the mechanism yet, but we will in the future as we gather more data. And, James, what I will say is we're going to resist

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

the temptation as a company to construct a lovely PowerPoint slide that shows how we'll carefully capture this fit and have trade-offs amongst our products. I mean, there is strategic intent here, but we also recognise there's a Darwinian dimension here in terms of the data that these targets generate, but also the competition gets a vote as well. I mean, ultimately, the long-acting is the future. The launch for New Carter COPD in the US is going very well. and was just there on Monday. We have around, well, depending on which data set, 43% to 46% of new patients starts already. The market research and the messaging is really resonating. But we have transferred all of our new kind of reps to Accenture. And New Colour COPD is being promoted by the Trilogy legacy team because, again, we need to place our bets on the future, and the ultimate future with IL5 and higher EOS is going to be long-acting Accenture for COPD. So thanks, James. I appreciate that question. Deborah, do you want to give an update?

speaker
Deborah Waterhouse
Head of HIV Business

Thanks, Luke. The key thing that I want to reemphasize is that we're on track to select our Q6M treatment regimen in the middle of the year. And as I said, we're going to do a meet the management event mid-year where I'll lay out a lot more detail about the pipeline. But let me just give you a top line view now. So let's start with treatment. The treatment market is $20 billion in value, 90% of the value of the total HIV market. As I said in my presentation, Q6M is clearly our biggest opportunity in treatment. We're very confident in the assets that we've got to choose from, and the CROID data that we'll present will show just how strong those assets are, particularly VH184, which is unique, third generation, really potent. integrase inhibitor. And we believe that to have a really potent regimen, you need to have an integrase inhibitor at the core. So in terms of what kind of when studies will start. Q6M treatment, you'll see us moving to phase 2b this year. That puts us on track for our commitment, which is the 28 to 30 launch for our Q6M in treatment. In terms of PrEP, it's a different pathway because with the medicine that we're developing for Q6M PrEP, it's a prodrug of cabotegravir, which we've talked about before. And that means that we'll be able to go from phase one to phase three relatively rapidly. And the phase one will be starting this year where we'll then progress the dose selection and then we'll do a bridging study from the data that we already have from Q2M. So our Q6M pathway is clear and we're very confident in our ability to deliver against our milestones. But don't underestimate Q4M. There is a huge desire for Q4M in treatment and in PrEP. And we know that many clinicians are really looking forward to opening up their clinic capacity, which will double from what they've got today with Q2M to Q4M. And I think what you're going to see is a rapid cannibalization of Q2M to Q4M. And then actually you will see a rapid cannibalization from Q4 to Q6. And as I've said before, particularly in treatment, you see the market really open up as we progress through longer and longer durations between administrations. So the addressable market for Q2M is about 15% of patients. When we get to 4, we get to 30% of patients. And then you've got with Q6M in treatment, 50% of patients who would be very willing to take a long-acting injectable. That is a big chunk of the market, which is why we are so excited about the offering that Q6M in treatment and in PrEP, but particularly in treatment, will offer.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Thanks, Deborah. Julie, quick answer on the 40. I think everyone knows, but let's confirm it.

speaker
Julie Brown
Chief Financial Officer

Yeah, sure. Thanks, James, for the question. So in terms of what we've included, of the recent deals, IDRX is included, FMS Furman, together with the OVSDA Chengri license, PD34. WRAPT, obviously, has just been announced, so it's not included at all in the LRF. And clearly, we continue, as Luke mentioned, to support our BD to build and continue to build the pipeline.

speaker
David Redfern
Head of Investor Relations

Right. Thanks, Julie. Next question, please. Thanks, Jack. Next question comes from Simon Baker from Redburn. Hi, Simon.

speaker
Simon Baker
Analyst (Redburn)

Good morning, everyone. Thanks for taking my questions. Two, if I may, please. Firstly, on BlendRep, in light of the early feedback that you've had, you talked about the response to the REMS program. Can you just update us on how we should be thinking about the launch trajectory for BlendRep? And then secondly, a slightly bigger picture question for you, Luke. You did mention some of the facets of your strategy. I just wonder if you could give us a bit more detail on how and in what form we're going to learn more about that strategy over the course of the year. Is this something where there will be additional disclosure as we go through the quarterly calls, or are you envisaging having Capital Markets Day or similar events to lay out the strategy in that sort of form? Thanks so much.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Thanks, Simon. I'll come to Nina in a second. I think, as I said earlier, and thanks for your questions, look, what you'll get from us is a very clear communication. If it's on track, you'll hear about it. If it's not, we'll call it out. And I really want to use these forums to regularly update on our progress and where we're going to. So I think these are a very effective forum to do it. and we'll see how that evolves over time. Nina, I mean, again, as I said in my intro, I mean, Nina and I have worked together a long time. She has huge experience in oncology and is now responsible for the whole portfolio in partnership with Tony. And also we've had a number of other members join the team that have been in their roles during this commercial transformation. And there's a lot of history with those individuals at Aventis and Roche and AstraZeneca. So they're people that many of you will know and they've got a very strong record. and the aim of bringing them into the team, again, is just to rebalance and increase the focus on the portfolio, the pipeline, and product execution. So with that intro, Nina, over to you on BlendRep in terms of launch, uptake, and initial feedback.

speaker
Nina Moyas
Head of Global Product Strategy

Yeah, thank you. Just checking if you can hear me. yeah great um yeah simon so um you remember blender was launched in the us just at the end of november so there are not many um we we can't really share a significant update based on the sales numbers but what we do know we launched in the uk um middle of the year And the dynamic is opening the accounts is systematic. It's happening, but it is definitely slower because of the coordination of care with eye care professionals. By now, we have about 70% of patients covered in the accounts that are open in the UK. And based on the uptake there, we are actually extremely satisfied. Two things. There is huge interest to try BlendGrap. And then we know that we have done good homework in guiding physicians how to use the drug. Physicians are very much aware of the need of extended dosing intervals to reduce or to avoid eye-related side effects. Now, translating that to the U.S., we expect similar dynamic. So the timing of opening the accounts is going to take a bit of time, longer probably than what you would see with an asset that doesn't need that coordination of care. But what we did learn from the first launch, as an example, I think I mentioned we are actively educating 18,000 eye care professionals As an illustration, comparing to the first launch of BlendGrep, we had only about 5,000 to 6,000 eye care professionals engaged in our program, helping treaters to treat the patients. REMS has been a big factor. I think you know that. It has been received very positively. Currently, REMS is not an issue. Physicians are very much used to REMS programs, and Blender PREMS is very similar. Eye care professionals scale. As we said, we are going to reach a significantly higher number. And then communicating to the physicians how to use the drug, that extended dosing is very relevant to enable early positive experience, and I would say that's what we see so far. To your question, what can we expect? What we said before, it is not going to be a quick ramp-up. It's going to be a slow ramp-up, but the positive initial experience is more relevant than starting a high number of patients very early and then having a negative experience.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Thanks, Nina. And I would just add one other interesting point. point is if we look at usage right now for Blenrep, it's about 50-50 between academic and community, which our strategy is to focus on the community. With a product that is being relaunched and not a lot of experience in the community, I think this is an encouraging trajectory because at this point you'd expect volume to be dominated by the academic centres who tend to move on newer things earlier. But we can see, to Nina's point, the strategy of focusing on the community, building confidence, supporting them to dose the first five patients appears to be showing promise. And we will give you a lot more granularity at the Q1 update, including on Accenture. Thanks, Simon. I appreciate the questions.

speaker
David Redfern
Head of Investor Relations

Next, please. Next question comes from Michael Leuchten from Jefferies.

speaker
Michael Leuchten
Analyst (Jefferies)

Thank you for taking the question. Thank you for taking the questions. Two, please. One for Luke. It's been reported that there is a reduction in R&D staff, I think about 350 people in the U.S. and also in the U.K. Just wondering, is that part of a broader program, normal attrition? Just wonder if you could put it into context. And I'm back to Nina on Extensor. There's a few ways one could launch a product like this, especially early on. So go into treatment experience patients where I guess it'd be easier to make an argument to get patients on drug more quickly or into a naive population to broaden out the market. Can you talk a little bit about the launch curve for 2026? How should we think about this as the year progresses? Thank you.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Thanks, Michael. So I'll cover the first one. I mean, we're going to manage the business. Where we see success, we'll reinforce it. If we have programs that are less promising or Tony and Nina in managing the portfolio decide to cull something, then we're going to be very dynamic and shift resources behind to where we can get the best return, generate assets that are most compelling and ultimately in doing this we will have and happy shareholders at the end of the process. So this is very much this element of accelerating R&D and simplifying how we work. And you'll see more of that. What we can assure you is that we will run the business with great discipline, and where we can see an opportunity, we will rapidly move resources, people, headcount, capital to support that.

speaker
David Redfern
Head of Investor Relations

Nina, Accenture. Yes.

speaker
Nina Moyas
Head of Global Product Strategy

Yeah, I can take that. Thank you, Michael. Just as a reminder, Michael, and I think this information basically guides the strategy. We have about mid-20s biopenetration in severe asthma. So about 25% of eligible patients now receive biologics, any. And of those who start on biologics, 65% will discontinue in the first 12 months. And that tells you if we would go for switch, active switch, that business wouldn't last very long because patients are dropping anyway. And I think we need to look at it in that context. Our main objective, I think Luke mentioned that when we talk about our sales force, is going for bio-naive patients. It's very legitimate to expect there will be some switching, and there will be switching very likely from Ducala, hopefully also from other agents in severe asthma as well. What is more relevant is can extension gain share from patients who would have otherwise started on other agents. And, you know, six-monthly dosing, I think you have seen, Everything that we have seen from both physicians and patients is that there is a huge level of enthusiasm for long-acting, six-monthly dosing, and that will hopefully translate into preferential use of extension over other agents to initiate patients, but then also to start patients who otherwise wouldn't start on biologic yet.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Great. Thanks, Nina. And I think the positioning is the first and only biologic that delivers ultra-long protection in two doses a year. That's landing extremely well when we look at market research and perception.

speaker
David Redfern
Head of Investor Relations

Thanks, Michael. Next question, please. Next question comes from Sachin Jain from Bank of America. Hi, Sachin.

speaker
Sachin Jain
Analyst (Bank of America)

Hi, Matt. Sorry about that. Can you hear me now? We can. Thanks. Perfect, thanks. A couple of questions, please. First, from Nina, and congrats on your role. Perhaps a bit more detail on Blenrep. How many positions have you had through the REM certification process, and any cadence of how you think that will go through the year as a rate-limiting factor? Second one for Deborah on the HIV event media. Clearly, we're looking to Q6M start, but I wonder if you will be disclosing how you think about the financials of that business through the LOE, and I guess two questions. One, How do you think about the rate of decline of this business relative to where consensus sits? And I guess Q6M isn't in the midterm guide, so do you plan on including it at that point if you start in phase three? And then a quick one for you, Luke, just on your slide five and high-level objectives. You've mentioned two things. One, simplification. Do you intend to have any official cost savings program? And then secondly, R&D acceleration. Are there any specific programs that you can target for earlier readouts or finding? Thank you.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Thanks, Sachin. So I'll answer your last question, then we'll go to Deborah and then finish with Nina. I mean, we are always looking to save money because I think it's always an opportunity cost, right? So if we can move resources behind particular assets where we think there is a higher payoff, and return, and they have the clinical profile to justify it, then we will do that, and we will continue that in a dynamic and disciplined fashion. Areas for acceleration, again, I think naturally the scale of B7H3. Rores is quite interesting. I think 584, B7H4. It is a very competitive and dynamic area, but, you know, I think we're starting to see some colour around the TOPS profile that could give us an edge. FGF21, we looked at all three of those companies. We think we've bought the best. Again, you'd expect me to say that, but I think we can back that up in time with the profile, the frequency of the dosing and some of the... the profile of the product that will emerge in time. So they're probably the key ones. T-slip as well, long-acting T-slip. Again, you know, the target is being actively de-risked by AstraZeneca, and I think that we have a plan to move that asset forwards and rapidly because it is a very attractive area we think you know long acting can really reframe tanina's earlier point about how respiratory diseases are treated um deborah over to you on hiv okay thank you sachin for the question um so

speaker
Deborah Waterhouse
Head of HIV Business

If we think about Q6M first, so we are intending to set out our HIV story in the middle of the year. And at that point, once we've done a regimen selection and we then commence with Phase 2, we will put that into our long-range forecast, which is how we always operate when products get to that Phase 2 phase. So you'll see that happen mid-year. You then asked about the evolution of the portfolio over time. So let me just give you a top-line view, and we will come back and talk more about this when we set out the HIV evolution in the middle of the year. So we've seen a relatively rapid decline of TRIMEC as the guidelines have moved away from TRIMEC. And what's happened is, over the last 12 months, it's created dynamism in the market, and Novato has benefited significantly, as has Cavanuva. So the amount that's sitting in Trimek and Tivoke, as you can see, is going down quite significantly in advance of the loss of exclusivity of dolotegravir, which is, to remind you, a glide path, not a cliff, starting in April 28 in the U.S. and then July 29 in Europe. with obviously Devato and Jaluka in the U.S. having intellectual property coverage now until end of 29 for Devato and July 2030 for Jaluka. So the glide path's coming down. We're already seeing a move away from the old Donategovia regiments into our newer regiments, and that is going to continue. And then what's going to happen is we will continue to power forward with Cavanuva Q2M. It's doing incredibly well, growing fast. Aperture has not been dented by the launch of years to go. So that will also continue to grow 26 and beyond. And then what we will see is. Q4M, both treatment and prep coming in and powering longer acting forward again until we reach the point at which we launch Q6M. And then we've got two brand new molecules with intellectual property coverage, composition of matter patents through into the 2040s. And so you see a dip in 29 and 30 for the franchise as we face into the largest erosion through the exclusivity loss. And then we come back out into growth in 2031 and beyond. And that growth in that decade is going to be a significant contributor to GSK's success in the 2030s because we are incredibly confident in the value to patients that the Q6M will bring. If that hopefully gives you a sort of a view as to how it's going to evolve, we will share more detail in the middle of the year. But I just want everybody to understand that HIV will be a big contributor to GSA's success this decade and into the future.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Great. Thanks, Deborah. Nina, quick answer and then we'll try and squeeze one more question in because I know people have got a hard time.

speaker
Nina Moyas
Head of Global Product Strategy

Yeah, definitely. Sachin, thank you. First of all, trying to avoid the situation where you will chase me next quarter for the same number. Rents, hundreds. Hundreds, and obviously that's just a start.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Yeah. I mean, we feel happy about where we're at.

speaker
David Redfern
Head of Investor Relations

One more question. Do we have time for that? Yeah, we have time for one more question. Our next question comes from Steve Scala, TD Cohen. Good morning, Steve.

speaker
Steve Scala
Analyst (TD Cowen)

Good morning. Thank you so much. Two questions. First, on Kamala Pixson, if GSK needs two positive trials to file, which is what the company has said previously, then what's the purpose of the pooled analysis? And or has FDA confirmed it will accept filing based on pooled data even if one trial is a negative? And secondly, on Shingrix, what were sales to GFA in Q4, and what is your level of confidence in 26 on this drug?

speaker
Tony Wood
Chief Scientific Officer

Sure. Tony, you want to cover? Yeah, just quickly. Steve, I'm not going to get into details of regulatory strategy, but as you defined, what it's giving us is the option to take the approach both as independent and ultimately move studies forward to it while saying that we remain confident in the outcomes for both COM1 and COM2.

speaker
Luke Miles
CEO

Yeah, and Steve, there was a shipment in December. We can get you that number offline. I don't have it off my head. What I will say is that the underlying demand is improving in China. So it's up six times since the start of 2025. Now it's a low base. And we've grown the market share versus going away. So now we have 93% market share in our population, which is an operational improvement. And what is driving this? We've shifted the strategy to the one that we launched in Australia and also drove in Germany, and now we're employing in the U.S., which is also helping us get some traction there. Julie just told me it's $100 billion. We did at the end of last year. So there's still some stock in the pipe. But again, we'll give you more colour on Q1, but it's heading in the right direction, along with Shingrix in aggregate. So I think we'll stop there, because I know a lot of you need to join another call, and I want to respect that. Thank you again for investing the time to construct such thoughtful questions and joining the call and your interest in the company. We look forward to updating you further next quarter. Thank you.

Disclaimer

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