GSK sees first Ebola vaccine doses ready late this year

LONDON, Oct 22 (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline (Other OTC: GLAXF - news) expects to have the first doses of its Ebola vaccine ready late this year and is looking to work with the rest of the pharmaceutical industry to scale up production.

"I fully anticipate that the initial supply should be available before the year end," Chief Executive Andrew Witty told reporters on Wednesday after reporting quarterly results.

"It will give WHO (World Health Organization) and other agencies a useful tool," he said, adding that the GSK product was likely to be the first vaccine to be deployed.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ - news) , which is also developing an Ebola vaccine, said earlier that drugmakers were exploring ways to work together to make millions of vaccine doses available in 2015.

GSK said such collaboration was essential to remove potential bottlenecks in the production and supply process. "This situation requires new ways of working and thinking," he said. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler and editing by Kate Kelland)