Pfizer rolls out next-gen pneumococcal vaccine with FDA win, beating Merck's 15-valent candidate to the punch

Merck and Pfizer have been locked in a yearslong battle for a next-gen pneumococcal vaccine winner, with the latter looking to one-up — or should we say seven-up — its standard 13-valent shot. Now, Pfizer has nosed out a win with the FDA’s backing, leaving Merck and its 15-valent shot waiting in the wings.