The pneumococcal vaccine market, dominated by Pfizer's Prevenar 13, is now facing competition with the introduction of MSD's Vaxneuvance.

The Q2 share report, which is the first report issued after Vaxneuvance’s introduction in April, showed that while Pfizer's Prevenar 13 sales remained strong, Vaxneuvance gained a larger share of the non-reimbursed adult pneumococcal vaccine market.


Prevenar 13 was the dominant pneumococcal vaccine in Korea’s market prior to the introduction of Vaxneuvance. It generated KRW 45.8 billion in sales last year (IQVIA data), and the drug occupied 98.9% in March 98.9% among children and 100% among adults (UBIST data).

However, since the launch of Vaxneuvance in April, the market’s focus of interest has been on how the emergence of the Prevenar 13’s competitor. The first report card issued in Q2 can be summarized as Prevenar 13’s solid defense despite the strong advance made by Vaxneuvance.

According to UBSIT, Prevenar 13 led the pneumococcal vaccine market in June last year, occupying 69.2% of the pediatric pneumococcal vaccine market. The company's market share declined from 99.1% in March to 83.5% in April and then to 77.4% in May, but is still holding the majority of the market.


The gap widens when considering the adult pneumococcal vaccine market. After reaching an 87% share in April, Prevenar 13’s share had dropped to 77% in May, but rebounded to 80% in June, showing even greater market dominance than in the pediatric pneumococcal vaccine market.

The industry has linked this to Vaxneuvance’s rapid registration into the National Immunization Program (NIP). Vaxneuvance entered the pediatric NIP within a month of its approval late last year and was covered through the NIP upon its launch.

As a result, MSD focused on the pediatric market launch, using up most of its initial supply for NIP.

The company's strategy was to aggressively target the NIP market, where it can expect stable sales. At a media seminar held on August 6, MSD said that it has been gaining a double-digit share every month.

While the pediatric NIP market is likely to remain competitive, the adult market, where Prevenar 13 has an 80% share, is likely to be a concern for MSD.

Contrary to how the NIP market is less commercially driven, the off-patent market is more likely to reflect the company’s marketing capabilities.

This means that MSD would need to overcome Prevenar 13’s long-standing recognition among physicians and patients, with the cost of vaccination also serving as a competitive factor. It may be difficult for Vaxneuvance, which is relatively new to the market, to compete on price.

MSD is emphasizing that Vaxneuvance has 2 more - 22F and 33F - unique serotypes compared with Prevenar 13 and with confirmed good immunogenicity. The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases recently recommended Vaxneuvance as a priority in the revised 2024 Adult Vaccination Guidelines.

However, how the doctors will regard the difference of adding the 2 serotypes - 22F and 33F - in practice will be key, as the 10A serotype is found more in children and 3 and 19A serotypes in adults in Korea, and 19A and 19F serotypes are the most frequent serotypes among serotypes preventable through children’s vaccines.

The next variable in the competition between the 2 vaccines will be Pfizer's follow-on vaccine, Prevenar 20. Industry insiders expect Prevenar 20 may be approved later this year and launched at the end of the year at the earliest.

Although the new vaccine will not be able to influence the NIP market or guidelines in the short term, from the perspective of Vaxneuvance, the emergence of Pfizer's follow-up vaccine less than a year after its market launch can rise as a concern when expanding its share.

Regarding this, a Pfizer representative said, "It is difficult to predict the timing of Prevenar 20’s approval, but we are working to launch the vaccine as soon as possible."