Pfizer Japan files 20-valent pneumococcal vaccine for older adults and individuals at high risk of contracting an infectious disease caused by pneumococcus

Pfizer has filed Apexxnar, its 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Japan for the prevention of pneumococcal infection in older adults and individuals at a high risk of contracting an infectious disease caused by pneumococcus.

The submission, which is primarily based on global PIII study data covering adults aged 60 and older, comes after the company filed the vaccine for pediatric use in March 2023. While the company’s Prevenar 13 covers 13 pneumococcus serotypes (1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F, and 23F), the new vaccine offers boarder protection by adding seven additional serotypes to this coverage (8, 10A, 11A, 12F, 15B/C, 22F, and 33F).

Known as Prevnar 20 or Apexxnar, the new vaccine is already approved in more than 40 countries including in the US and EU for adults aged 18 and older. For children, it is approved in the US.