A Lyme Disease Vaccine May Be on the Way

Pfizer’s shot fell short of its initial trial goal, but with nearly half a million Americans infected each year, the company isn’t giving up.

BY AMAYA NICHOLE, NEWS WRITER

Pfizer has announced that its new Lyme disease vaccine reduced the rate of infection by more than 70 percent in a recent trial. This is a notable achievement as an estimated 476,000 Americans contract Lyme disease each year.

Pfizer and Valneva—a specialty company that focuses on the development of vaccines for infectious diseases with unmet medical needs—entered into a collaboration and license agreement in April 2020 to co-develop and exclusively manufacture and commercialize this vaccine.

The vaccine did, however, miss the trial’s initial statistical goal. As reported by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, “Despite falling short of its primary statistical goal in a phase 3 randomized controlled clinical trial, in part because fewer than expected Lyme disease cases were reported during the study period, the vaccine showed about 70% to 73% efficacy in preventing confirmed Lyme disease after a four-dose series. In a secondary analysis, the vaccine did meet the statistical goal.”

According to the Centers of Disease Control there are currently no vaccines approved in the United States for the tick-borne illness. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and its symptoms include fatigue, fever, a rash, and joint pain. Left untreated, the disease can lead to more serious complications, such as irregular heartbeat and brain inflammation.

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Due to personal ties to the disease, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, pledged to find a cure at his Senate confirmation last year.

“Every member of my immediate family has had Lyme disease. I had a son whose face was paralyzed for a year, and I have a son today who has been suffering from the devastating effects of Lyme disease for two years,” Kennedy said. “There is nobody who will fight harder to find a vaccine or a treatment for Lyme disease than me.”

“Lyme disease can cause potentially serious consequences—where individuals and families face symptoms that can disrupt daily life, work, and long-term health—and there is currently no vaccine available,” said Annaliesa Anderson, Pfizer’s senior vice president and chief vaccines officer. “The efficacy shown in the Valor study of more than 70 percent is highly encouraging and creates confidence in the vaccine’s potential to protect against this disease that can be debilitating.”

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