Pfizer Inc PFE has dosed the first participants in the Phase 3 trial of its quadrivalent modified RNA (modRNA) influenza vaccine candidate in approximately 25,000 healthy U.S. adults.
Influenza annually causes 140,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations, 12,000 to 52,000 deaths, and about $25 billion in economic loss in the U.S.
The quadrivalent modRNA vaccine candidate will encode World Health Organization recommended strains for the Northern Hemisphere 2022-23 cell culture- or recombinant-based influenza vaccines.
This Phase 3 study is informed by previously shared data from the ongoing Phase 2 trial, demonstrating a safety and immunogenicity profile supportive of program advancement.
Beyond the modRNA vaccine candidate, Pfizer has ongoing studies exploring more novel mRNA technology like self-amplifying RNA (saRNA).
In 2018, Pfizer entered into a worldwide collaboration and license agreement with BioNTech SEBNTX, under which Pfizer has the exclusive right to carry out the clinical development and commercialization of mRNA‐based influenza vaccines.
BioNTech would receive a royalty on Pfizer’s sales upon potential approval and commercialization.
Price Action: PFE shares are down 0.13% at $46.13 during the premarket session on the last check Wednesday.
