Vaxneuvance increases presence in NIP mkt

keyword ‘immunogenecity'

Since its release in April, Vaxneuvance has shown double-digit growth in the market

Market share of initial dose higher, cross-dosing from 13-valent to 15-valent vaccine is also rising

A follow-up vaccine to Vaxneuvance is expected to be released in the second half of the year... Competition depends on 'vaccine’s scope of coverage + immunogenicity'

MSD Korea is accelerating its efforts to capture the national immunization program (NIP) market by touting the high immunogenicity of Vaxneuvance.

 

The vaccine has already been rapidly introduced to general hospitals and clinics upon its launch, and the company is highlighting the vaccine’s clinical benefits to gain a competitive advantage.

 

Dr.

 

Hyun-mi Kang, Professor of Pediatrics, St.

 

Mary

Vaxneuvance, which was approved late last year, is the first new pneumococcal vaccine introduced to Korea in 13 years.

 

It is a 15-valent vaccine that added 2 serotypes -22F and 33F – to the existing 13-valent vaccine.

 

In particular, the vaccine made the pediatric NIP list at an unprecedented speed, just one month after its approval.

 

Since its launch in April, Vaxneuvance has been available for NIP vaccination in children aged 2 months to 5 years.

 

Previously, Pfizer's Prevenar 13 was the only available NIP vaccine for pediatric pneumococcal disease.

 

 Now, MSD is expanding Vaxneuvance’s presence in the market by emphasizing that children who have received one or more doses of Prevenar 13 can also cross-vaccinate the remaining doses with Vaxneuvance.

 

At the Vaxneuvance media seminar that was held on June 6, experts said that the introduction of Vaxneuvance has changed clinical practice.

 

"We don't know the overall vaccination rate because we don't have specific data, in my hospital, Vaxneuvance is being administered first due to its broader coverage since April," said Hyun-mi Kang, professor of Pediatrics at St.

 

Mary's Hospital in Seoul.

 

Jaeyong Cho, Executive Director of MSD Korea's Vaccine Business Unit, added, "Although the data is unofficial, there has been an increase in Vaxneuvance’s use as third and fourth doses along with the initial dose since its launch.

 

Overall, the rate of those receiving an initial dose of Vaxneuvance is higher, but the proportion of cross-vaccinations is also continuing to grow."

Vaxneuvance’s strength is in the high immunogenicity of all serotypes

Immunogenicity was also highlighted as the competitive advantage of Vaxneuvance during the media seminar.

 

This means that there is a need to choose a highly immunogenic option to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), which is highly fatal in children.

 

The WHO's definition of immunogenicity is "the ability of a vaccine to induce a measurable immune response.

 

The specific serotype-specific immunogenicity criteria are 'IgG concentration of 0.35 μg/mL or higher'.

 

"In a Phase III study in healthy Korean infants and young children, Vaxneuvance demonstrated a primary immunogenicity endpoint of IgG of 0.35 μg/mL or higher across 15 serotypes after the 3rd dose in more than 95% of subjects," said Professor Kang.

 

While Vaxneuvance is rapidly penetrating the market based on its clinical performance, there is hesitation in the field as Prevenar 20, which contains more serotypes, will be launched in the second half of the year.

 

In this regard, Professor Kang emphasized that it is also important to consider the prevention effect of each serogroup in addition to the broader spectrum of protection.

 

"We have been saying that preventing more is important for invasive pneumococcal disease due to its many serotypes, but the more number of serotypes does not necessarily mean that (the vaccine) is good.

 

I think we need to consider the safety of the vaccine along with the immunogenicity for each serotype."