RSVVW 2021 – Pfizer gets maternal

Pfizer had already surprised investors with positive findings in adults with its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine RSVpreF. Now promising mid-stage data suggest that RSVpreF could also have a role in the maternal setting.

Here, vaccines are given to pregnant women to protect their infants from RSV once they are born. An abstract for the upcoming RSVVW conference showed that, in a phase 2b trial, RSVpreF had 85% efficacy in preventing infant lower respiratory tract infections. This looks slightly better than efficacy seen with Astrazeneca and Sanofi’s long-acting antibody nirsevimab. However, competition in RSV is fierce, with several pivotal readouts set for next year.