Pfizer Inc.’s shot that fights five types of bacteria that can cause meningitis succeeded in a final-stage human trial, showing it works just as well as two separate products aimed at the same pathogens.
(Bloomberg) — Pfizer Inc.’s shot that fights five types of bacteria that can cause meningitis succeeded in a final-stage human trial, showing it works just as well as two separate products aimed at the same pathogens.
The drugmaker’s investigational MenABCWY shot prevented the A, B, C, W and Y groups of meningococcal bacteria in healthy individuals 10 through 25 years of age as well as currently licensed vaccines do, according to a statement Thursday. These groups cause the majority of invasive meningococcal disease.
Meningococcal disease is a rare, serious bacterial infection that can invade the brain, spinal cord and blood, killing about one in seven people affected. Currently, the shots that fight the A, C, W and Y groups are licensed and sold separately from the vaccine against the B group, Pfizer said, and no single vaccine is available against all five, Pfizer said.
If approved, Pfizer’s vaccine could help simplify the immunization schedule against the disease and provide the broadest coverage of these vaccinations, the company said.
The shares were little changed in trading before US markets opened.
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