Major global pharmaceutical companies have reduced their clinical vaccine pipelines by nearly 27% over the past year, according to a new industry report.
The Korea Biopharmaceutical Association's report on global vaccine pipeline status, released on the 18th, found that the six leading vaccine developers—Pfizer, Sanofi, MSD, GSK, Moderna, and AstraZeneca—now have a combined 55 clinical-stage vaccine candidates. This marks a decline of 20 from 75 programs a year ago.
The cuts were concentrated in early-stage development. Phase 1 trials dropped from 25 to 18 programs, while Phase 2 trials fell from 34 to 22. In contrast, Phase 3 pipelines remained largely intact, declining by just one program from 16 to 15.
"While overall pipelines have shrunk, competitiveness in high-value areas such as combination vaccines has actually strengthened," an association official said. "The reduction in early and mid-stage programs reflects a strategy of concentrating resources on projects with proven success potential and market viability."
Among individual companies, Sanofi led with 15 vaccine candidates across all stages—six in Phase 1, five in Phase 2, and four in Phase 3. MSD maintained the most limited portfolio with only one Phase 3 program.
Across all six companies, Phase 2 candidates were most numerous at 22, followed by 18 in Phase 1 and 15 in Phase 3. The data suggests drugmakers are prioritizing late-stage assets and combination vaccines while pruning earlier-stage projects.