Merck: V116 vaccine for pneumococcal diseases show adult immune response

Merck announced positive data from multiple Phase 3 studies evaluating V116, the company’s investigational, adult-specific 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, at the 13th Meeting of the International Society of Pneumonia and Pneumococcal Diseases or ISPPD, in Cape Town, South Africa. Across the clinical studies presented, V116 was shown to be immunogenic for all 21 serotypes covered by the vaccine in a variety of adult populations, including those who had not previously received a pneumococcal vaccine those who had previously received a pneumococcal vaccine and those with an increased risk of pneumococcal disease, including people living with human immunodeficiency virus or HIV. V116 also elicited higher immune responses than the studied comparators for the serotypes unique to V116 in all STRIDE studies presented at the meeting. “Invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal pneumonia can cause serious illness, especially in older adults and those with immunocompromising conditions,” said Dr. Walter Orenstein…”The extensive data presented this week reaffirm our confidence in the potential clinical value V116 could provide to a range of adult populations,” said Dr. Eliav Barr, senior vice president, head of global clinical development and chief medical officer, Merck Research Laboratories. “We are encouraged by the results of these studies showing that V116 has generated immune responses to the serotypes responsible for the majority of adult invasive pneumococcal disease.”