STAT+: Vaxcyte claims success in bid to beat Pfizer and Merck in lucrative vaccine market — SkimNews
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- Vaxcyte said its experimental vaccine VAX-31 hit primary endpoints in a Phase 3 clinical trial, setting up the company to compete with Pfizer and Merck
- VAX-31 is designed to protect against 31 serotypes of bacteria causing pneumococcal disease, compared to 20 strains for Pfizer's Prevnar 20 and 21 strains for Merck's Capvaxive
- The trial randomized just over 3,500 adults age 50 and older to receive VAX-31, Prevnar, or Capvaxive, with investigators measuring the strength of antibody responses against different strains
- Vaxcyte is California-based, and the trial compared its shot head-to-head against both approved competitors rather than just a placebo
Why it matters: Vaxcyte's broader serotype coverage (31 vs. 20-21 for incumbents) is the key differentiator in a Phase 3 head-to-head design against two approved market leaders. If the antibody data translates to approval, Pfizer and Merck — the two companies that currently dominate the pneumococcal vaccine space — face a competitor targeting more circulating strains.
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