Pfizer to seek FDA approval for Lyme disease vaccine candidate despite trial miss

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Pfizer

on Monday said it will seek regulatory approval for a Lyme disease vaccine candidate despite the shot failing a late-stage trial.

Pfizer said the vaccine missed the trial’s statistical goal because not enough people in the study contracted Lyme disease to be confident in the results. Still, the company said the shot reduced the rate of infection by more than 70% in people who received the vaccine versus placebo, efficacy the company thinks is strong enough to take to regulators.

“The efficacy shown in the VALOR study of more than 70% is highly encouraging and creates confidence in the vaccine’s potential to protect against this disease that can be debilitating,” Pfizer Chief Vaccines Officer Annaliesa Anderson said in a statement.