Merck & Co – known as MSD outside the US and Canada – has shared positive late-stage results for its investigational 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine designed for adults.
Diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria are considered a “major public health problem worldwide” by the World Health Organization.
There are more than 100 different types of pneumococcal bacteria, which can affect adults differently than children. Certain strains threaten to put more people at risk for invasive pneumococcal illnesses, with older adults among those most vulnerable to serious infection.
Merck’s candidate, V116, is specifically designed to address the strains responsible for the majority of adult pneumococcal disease, including eight unique strains that account for approximately 30% of adult disease.
If approved, V116 would be the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine specifically designed for this patient population, according to the company.
Results from multiple phase 3 trials presented at this year’s Meeting of the International Society of Pneumonia and Pneumococcal Diseases showed that the candidate generated immune responses for all 21 serotypes it covers in a variety of adult populations.
This included those who had not previously received a pneumococcal vaccine, those who had previously received a pneumococcal vaccine, and those with an increased risk of pneumococcal disease.
V116 was also found to elicit higher immune responses than the studied comparators for its unique serotypes.
In addition to the clinical trial data, Merck presented preliminary results from a real-world evidence study in the US, which found that among 2,065 adults aged 50 years and older who were hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia between 2018 and 2022, 242 pneumococcal serotypes were detected. Of these serotypes, approximately 84% were covered by V116.
Dr Eliav Barr, senior vice president, head of global clinical development and chief medical officer at Merck Research Laboratories, said: “The extensive data presented this week reaffirms our confidence in the potential clinical value V116 could provide to a range of adult populations.
“We are encouraged by the results of these studies showing that V116 has generated immune responses to the serotypes responsible for the majority of adult invasive pneumococcal disease.”