Pfizer’s new shot approval adds to a growing vaccine prowess

On Friday, Pfizer notched another win in their growing vaccine portfolio with an approval that flew a little further under the radar: The FDA approved Pfizer’s Penbraya, which is the first vaccine to prevent against the five most common types of meningococcal disease in adolescents.

The go-ahead marks a step in growing Pfizer’s immunization business that became supercharged by the pandemic and prepared the company to become one of the leading vaccine makers in Big Pharma.

On Friday, Pfizer notched another win in their growing vaccine portfolio with an approval that flew a little further under the radar: The FDA approved Pfizer’s Penbraya, which is the first vaccine to prevent against the five most common types of meningococcal disease in adolescents.
The go-ahead marks a step in growing Pfizer’s immunization business that became supercharged by the pandemic and prepared the company to become one of the leading vaccine makers in Big Pharma.

Penbraya combines immunizations for meningococcal groups A, B, C, W and Y, which allows people aged 10 to 25 to be inoculated to all five infection types with only one shot and a follow up, a strategy that Pfizer is familiar with from years developing multivalent vaccines like its Prevnar 20 pneumococcal shot. Penbraya covers the components from two of Pfizer’s previous meningococcal vaccines — Trumenba and Nimenrix, although the latter is not licensed in the U.S.
The company said in a release that the vaccine for meningococcal disease — which can cause life-long disability or in some cases be fatal — would streamline the standard of care and potentially lead to greater vaccination rates. About nine in 10 young people are not adequately protected, according to an expert cited by Pfizer.
Here’s a look at what Pfizer has accomplished in the vaccine space and what’s currently in the pharma giant’s immunization pipeline.
The Pfizer vaccine portfolioBack in 2009, Pfizer merged with the pharma company Wyeth and in the process gained its first vaccine called Prevnar 13, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that protects against infections that can cause pneumonia. Pfizer continued to develop the Prevnar group to contain seven more types of the pneumococcal types, and Prevnar 20 was approved in 2021.
Last year, the Prevnar group of vaccines brought in more than $6.3 billion in worldwide sales for Pfizer, which was a 20% jump over the year before. And this April, the shot was approved for use in children under 17, widening the market to compete with other pneumococcal vaccines like Vaxneuvance from Merck & Co. and Affinivax from GSK.
Keep up with the story. Subscribe to the PharmaVoice free daily newsletter
Email:Work email addressSign upAnd then there’s Comirnaty. Pfizer’s COVID-19 story has become legendary and called by some “one of the greatest accomplishments in modern medicine.” After Pfizer and BioNTech brought about the first authorized (and then fully approved) vaccine for COVID-19, the company has been working to update the shot for current strains of the virus.
Although the company has had to cut jobs to save money while the sales volume of Comirnaty shots dwindle, the FDA cleared vaccines for the 2023 and 2024 season from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax.
Still, Pfizer pulled in $38 billion in revenue of Comirnaty in 2022, though quarterly sales have fallen dramatically since.
Another of Pfizer’s more recent vaccine triumphs was the approval of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine in March. Pfizer was among several pharma giants vying for the market, and Abrysvo’s approval in August followed the FDA’s nod for GSK’s Arexvy just a few months earlier.
Still, there’s tremendous unmet need for RSV vaccines, particularly among older adults and infants — to protect babies from infection, Abrysvo was approved through immunization of pregnant mothers.
Pfizer has one more vaccine in its portfolio: Ticovac, the only shot used to prevent tick-borne encephalitis in the U.S. Ticovac was approved in 2021 to protect people traveling to endemic areas, including parts of Europe and Asia, where the vaccine has been distributed since 1976.
Pfizer’s work in vaccine development doesn’t stop there — the company has more than a dozen programs in clinical trials, including some that make use of the mRNA technology employed for the successful Comirnaty.
Read More in Biotech In early stages, the pharma giant is using the genetic vaccine platform to develop a combination COVID-19 and influenza vaccine and a shot for chickenpox. And in later stages, Pfizer is working on vaccines to widen the age window that can receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as a separate influenza vaccine
RECOMMENDED READINGIs the COVID-19 market crashing?offsite link Meagan Parrish‘Eris’ and other new COVID strains accelerate vaccine push from Pfizer, Moderna, Novavaxoffsite link Michael GibneyDespite J&J’s exit, Big Pharma is closing in on a launch of the first RSV vax this yearoffsite link Michael GibneyPOSTSHARETWEETPRINTEMAILFiled Under: Biotech, Pharma
Get the free newsletterSubscribe to PharmaVoice for important stories, insights & perspectives
Email:Work email addressSign upMOST POPULARAntibodies autoimmune diseaseAn ‘inverse vaccine’ takes aim at autoimmune diseasesPhysicians, researchers and healthcare professionals attend ASCO's annual Meeting on June 2, 2023 in Chicago.The top biopharma conferences in 2024PhenylephrineThe FDA might yank cold medicines from shelves — and that could be just the beginningAging clock meltingHas the science of anti-aging caught up with the dream of a longer life?LIBRARY RESOURCESstudioID resource iconWEBINAR - ON DEMANDNegotiating Better Commercial Contracts in the 340B Drug Pricing ProgramCustom content for KalderosstudioID resource iconWEBINAR - ON DEMANDReal-World Data: Overcoming the Chasm Between Payer Policy and Real-Life PracticeCustom content for MMITstudioID resource iconPLAYBOOKKeys To Engaging Healthcare Professionals During Drug LaunchesCustom content for Avant HealthcareView allCOMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTSAlimentiv and Satisfai Health Announce Commercial Availability of Highly Innovative AI-Powered…From Alimentiv, Inc. and Satisfai HealthCitrus Health Group logoCitrus Health Group Acquires The Curry Rockefeller GroupFrom Citrus Health GroupONTOFORCE logoONTOFORCE reshapes its flagship product DISQOVER into a solution suite to drive further value …From ONTOFORCETrust.med logoTrust.med aims to Eliminate Counterfeit Drugs from Pharmaceutical Supply Chain with Launch of …From Trust.medView all | Post a press releaseEVENTS24OCTWEBINAR | 11:30 A.M. ETHow to Fuel More Efficient Drug Development With the Right FSPPresented by studioID and PPD25OCTVIRTUAL EVENTVirtual Event The Next Frontier of the Life SciencesPresented by BioPharma Dive and PharmaVoice01NOVWEBINAR | 1 P.M. ETHow Arvinas Improved Operations, Compliance, & SavingsPresented by studioID, Sikich and Coupa02NOVWEBINAR | 11 A.M. ETNavigating The Emerging World of Gene TherapiesPresented by CencoraView all eventsINDUSTRY INTELNew Models of Benefits Verification Solve for Complexity, Accelerate Speed to Therapy and Deliver Price TransparencyWHITEPAPER • Provided by EversanaSPONSORED by EnthoughtAccelerate Drug Discovery & Development with AIAccelerate the critical stages of target discovery, target validation, lead compound optimization, and preclinical development with fewer false positives.
Find Out HowPharmaVoice stories and insights delivered to your inboxGet the free daily newsletter read by industry leaders
Email:Work email addressSign upPharmaVoice newsletter exampleCOMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTSView all | Post a press releaseAlimentiv and Satisfai Health Announce Commercial Availability of Highly Innovative AI-Powered…From Alimentiv, Inc. and Satisfai HealthOctober 10, 2023Citrus Health Group Acquires The Curry Rockefeller GroupFrom Citrus Health GroupOctober 18, 2023Citrus Health Group logoONTOFORCE reshapes its flagship product DISQOVER into a solution suite to drive further value …From ONTOFORCEOctober 04, 2023ONTOFORCE logoTrust.med aims to Eliminate Counterfeit Drugs from Pharmaceutical Supply Chain with Launch of …From Trust.medOctober 18, 2023Trust.med logoEDITORS’ PICKSclinical trial diversityExplore the Trendline➔Image attribution tooltipImage attribution tooltipTRENDLINEClinical trial diversityAs pharma wises up to the fact that the current playbook for improving clinical trial diversity has yet to make a meaningful impact, the quest is on to refine that approach.
By PharmaVoice staffAntibodies autoimmune diseaseImage attribution tooltipImage attribution tooltipBiotech SpotlightAn ‘inverse vaccine’ takes aim at autoimmune diseasesBacked by Pfizer, Anokion’s innovative approach to treating celiac, MS and more is showing early promise where others failed.
By Kelly Bilodeau • Oct. 23, 2023LATEST IN BIOTECHMeningococcal vaccinePfizer’s new shot approval adds to a growing vaccine prowessBy Michael GibneyAntibodies autoimmune diseaseAn ‘inverse vaccine’ takes aim at autoimmune diseasesBy Kelly Bilodeaurainforest pillFrom the rainforest to Wall Street — Jaguar Health’s big play for revitalizationBy Kelly BilodeauPhysicians, researchers and healthcare professionals attend ASCO's annual Meeting on June 2, 2023 in Chicago.The top biopharma conferences in 2024By Ned PagliaruloIndustry Dive LogoEXPLOREAboutEditorial TeamContact UsNewsletterArticle ReprintsPress ReleasesWhat We’re ReadingREACH OUR AUDIENCEAdvertisingPost a press releaseIndustry Dive is an Informa business© 2023 Industry Dive. All rights reserved. | View our other publications | Privacy policy | Terms of use | Take down policy.Cookie Preferences / Do Not Sell×