Korea MSD Launches Capvaxive, a 21-Valent Pneumococcal Vaccine Exclusively for Adults

Vaccinations Available Nationwide at Hospitals and Clinics Starting March 3

Korea MSD announced on March 3 that it has officially launched Capvaxive™ (Capvaxive®), a 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine specialized for the prevention of adult pneumococcal diseases, in the domestic market.

Capvaxive, which received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in August 2025, is a newly developed pneumococcal vaccine designed to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and pneumonia in adults. It is administered as a single dose to adults aged 18 and older, and from this day, vaccinations are available at hospitals and clinics nationwide.

IPD occurs when pneumococcus invades the bloodstream or cerebrospinal fluid and can cause diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, and bacteremia. The risk of developing IPD is higher among people aged 65 and above and those with chronic diseases such as diabetes, and the fatality rate increases with age. As of 2024, pneumonia is the third leading cause of death in Korea and the number one cause of death among respiratory diseases. Existing pneumococcal vaccines have been used for both children and adults, but as vaccination rates among children have risen, changes in serotype distribution have led to an increasing trend of adult IPD caused by non-vaccine serotypes.

In consideration of this gap in adult pneumococcal disease prevention, Capvaxive is composed of 21 serotypes that account for 80% of adult IPD cases in the United States from 2018 to 2022, and it includes eight unique serotypes not previously covered by existing vaccines.

The preventive efficacy of Capvaxive has been proven in multiple global Phase 3 clinical studies (the STRIDE studies). In the STRIDE-3 study, which targeted adults aged 50 and older with no prior pneumococcal vaccination, Capvaxive demonstrated excellent immunogenicity for 10 out of 11 serotypes not included in the comparator vaccine. The STRIDE-6 study also confirmed immunogenicity and safety in adults aged 50 and older who had received another pneumococcal vaccine at least one year prior.

Jae-Yong Cho, Executive Director of the Vaccine Business Division at Korea MSD, stated, "Going forward, we aim to implement a pneumococcal disease prevention strategy throughout the life cycle with both Vaxneuvance, the 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and Capvaxive, the adult-specific pneumococcal vaccine, in order to reduce the burden of pneumococcal diseases in Korea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.