Pfizer and Merck have asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recommend their pneumonia vaccines for adults aged 50 and older.
A key panel of US health experts voted to lower the recommended age for these vaccines. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 14 to 1 in favor of recommending the vaccines for all adults 50 and up. This move clears the way for wider use of the vaccines that protect against pneumococcal disease—a bacterial infection that can lead to pneumonia and meningitis.
CDC Director Mandy Cohen has endorsed the group’s recommendation. Before this, the CDC advised pneumococcal vaccines for adults aged 65 and over and for children under 5. The shots were also suggested for certain adults and children with weakened immune systems.
The wider age recommendation could be good news for Pfizer. The company has been looking for new sources of revenue as sales of its COVID-19 vaccine and treatment have declined. Pfizer’s pneumonia vaccine, called Prevnar, is one of its best-selling products, bringing in about $6 billion each year.
However, Merck’s new vaccine presents strong competition for Pfizer. Merck’s vaccine, called Capvaxive, protects against bacterial strains that cause about 84% of adult pneumococcal disease cases. In comparison, Pfizer’s Prevnar protects against about half of these disease-causing strains.
