May 20 (Reuters) – Pfizer said on Wednesday its experimental pneumococcal vaccine showed significantly stronger immune response than its current shot, including up to 15-fold higher antibody levels against a key strain, in a mid-stage study.
The vaccine maker tested its 25-valent vaccine, called 25vPnC, in healthy infants in the trial.
Pneumococcal disease can cause infections in several parts of the body, including the lungs, raising the risk of pneumonia.
In the trial, the vaccine generated strong immune responses across all the strains it targets, and was well tolerated, with no safety concerns identified.
Antibody levels in patients after the third dose of 25vPnC were about 8.8 times higher than those seen in Pfizer’s Prevnar 20 and about 15 times higher after the fourth dose, the company said.
Prevnar 20 was first approved to prevent pneumococcal disease in the U.S. in 2021 for adults, with its use later expanded to infants and children in 2023.
Pfizer said 25vPnC could potentially protect against about 90% of disease-causing strains in children under five, compared to current shots.
Children younger than 5 years and adults aged 50 years or older are at higher risk of pneumococcal disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Based on the results and talks with regulators, the company has started a late-stage trial to test 25vPnC in up to 2,400 infants, comparing it with Prevnar 20 in a four-dose schedule.
Separately, Pfizer said it is advancing an adult pneumococcal vaccine candidate targeting 35 strains, with plans to begin clinical development by the end of 2026.
(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
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