Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine Candidate Receives Breakthrough Therapy Designation for US

Pfizer has announced that its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine candidate, PF-06928316 or RSVpreF, received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for prevention of RSV-associated lower respiratory tract illness in infants from birth up to six months of age by active immunization of pregnant women.

The FDA decision is informed by the results of the Phase 2b proof-of-concept study of RSVpreF (NCT04032093), a global, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study that assessed the safety and immunogenicity of RSVpreF in healthy pregnant women ages 18 through 49 years old, who were vaccinated between 28- and 36-weeks gestation, and their infants, Pfizer said in its press release.

“Today’s decision is a pivotal next step in our path towards potential regulatory approval for our maternal RSV vaccine candidate and is an important milestone in our efforts to help address the detrimental impact RSV disease has on infants,” said Kathrin U. Jansen, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head of Vaccine Research & Development at Pfizer Inc. “If approved by the FDA, this maternal immunization has the potential to be the first vaccine candidate to help protect infants in their vulnerable first months of life from disease caused by this highly-contagious virus. We look forward to our ongoing dialogue with the FDA to accelerate the development of our maternal RSV vaccine candidate.”

The FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation is designed to expedite the development and review of drugs and vaccines that are intended to treat or prevent serious conditions and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug or vaccine may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapy on a clinically significant endpoint(s). This decision follows the FDA’s November 2018 decision to grant Fast Track status to RSVpreF. Fast Track status is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of new drugs and vaccines intended to treat or prevent serious conditions and address a medical need, the company said.