By Siddhi Mahatole
Oct 5 (Reuters) – Vaxcyte said on Monday its experimental pneumococcal vaccine generated immune responses comparable to rival vaccines in a late-stage study, sending its shares up 57% in morning trading.
Here are key details:
• Pneumococcal disease is caused by bacteria that can lead to pneumonia, meningitis and bloodstream infections, with older adults particularly at risk
• The vaccine, VAX-31, produced immune responses that were at least comparable to Pfizer’s Prevnar 20 and Merck’s Capvaxive against the 28 bacterial strains, or serotypes, shared with one or both rival vaccines
• It also produced stronger immune responses against three strains unique to VAX-31 and against strain 20B, the company said
• The vaccine had a consistent safety profile across the age groups studied, with no serious adverse events considered related to the vaccines
• Jefferies analyst Roger Song said the results hit the “blue-sky” case, with VAX-31 poised to take significant share of the $3 billion to $6 billion-plus adult vaccine market
• In separate comparisons, VAX-31 met the study’s benchmark for all 20 strains it shares with Prevnar 20 and for 17 of 19 shared with Capvaxive
• For the other two strains shared with Capvaxive, VAX-31 missed the study’s stricter benchmark but met a historical threshold
• Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger said VAX-31’s miss against Merck’s Capvaxive on serotype 3 reflected a tougher trial standard and was unlikely to have regulatory significance
• Vaxcyte expects results from two other late-stage trials in the first half of 2027 and plans to submit a US marketing application in the first half of 2028
(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Shreya Biswas)
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