GSK's shingles vaccine approved for use in China in adults aged 50 and above

(Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc said on Thursday its shingles vaccine had been approved for use in China in adults aged 50 and above.

Shingrix was launched in 2017 and has witnessed robust growth, with the British drugmaker predicting the sale of the vaccine to be "significantly" more than 1 billion pounds in 2019.

The company said the vaccine will be introduced in phases in China, starting in 2020, to ensure reliable supply to all countries, where it has been launched.

Shingrix, which has already been approved for use in the European Union, the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia, brought in 357 million pounds in the latest quarter.

The approval comes after China included the vaccine in a list of 48 "clinically urgently needed new medicines" designated for faster review.

(Reporting by Samantha Machado in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)