Predicting effectiveness of the V114 vaccine against invasive pneumococcal disease in children

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Vaccinology
• Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) are crucial for preventing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD).
• Predicting vaccine effectiveness using immune responses is a key strategy for evaluating new vaccine candidates.
• A novel 15-valent PCV (V114) aims to broaden protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To predict the serotype-specific effectiveness of the 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (V114) against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD).
• To assess V114's effectiveness in a US pediatric population using a 3+1 dosing regimen.
• To compare V114's predicted effectiveness against shared serotypes with existing vaccines like PCV13 and PCV7.

Main Methods:

• Utilized reverse cumulative distribution curves and published vaccine effectiveness data for PCV7 and PCV13.
• Derived protective antibody concentrations (Cp) for V114 serotypes based on existing data.
• Predicted serotype-specific effectiveness by comparing antibody concentrations in V114 recipients to placebo and existing vaccine groups in pediatric trials.

Main Results:

• Predicted serotype-specific effectiveness for V114 ranged from 86% to 99% for PCV7 serotypes.
• Effectiveness for non-PCV7 PCV13 serotypes was predicted between 59% and 97%.
• V114 demonstrated predicted effectiveness largely comparable to PCV7 and PCV13 for shared serotypes.

Conclusions:

• The 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (V114) is predicted to provide substantial protection against invasive pneumococcal disease in US children.
• V114 is expected to offer effectiveness comparable to current PCVs for shared serotypes.
• The vaccine is anticipated to provide significant additional benefit due to enhanced effectiveness against serotype 3 and new coverage for serotypes 22F and 33F.