STAT+: Vaxcyte claims success in bid to beat Pfizer and Merck in lucrative vaccine market

Vaxcyte said Monday that VAX-31, its experimental pneumococcal vaccine, hit the primary endpoints in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The result sets up the California-based biotech to compete with Pfizer and Merck in the lucrative pneumococcal vaccine market.

VAX-31 is designed to protect against 31 serotypes, or strains, of bacteria that can cause pneumococcal disease, including pneumonia. By comparison, Pfizer’s Prevnar covers 20 strains and Merck’s Capvaxive covers 21. In the trial, just over 3,500 adults age 50 and older were randomized to receive VAX-31, Prevnar, or Capvaxive, and investigators measured the strength of their antibody responses against different strains.