Major global pharmaceutical companies have reduced their clinical vaccine pipelines by nearly 27% over the past year, adopting a strategy of selection and concentration while maintaining late-stage projects and strengthening development of high-value combination vaccines.
According to a report titled "Global Major Companies' Clinical Vaccine Pipeline Status" published by the Korea Biopharmaceutical Association on the 18th, the top six global vaccine developers—Pfizer, Sanofi, MSD, GSK, Moderna, and AstraZeneca—now have a combined 55 clinical pipelines, down from 75 last year.
The decline was concentrated in early-stage pipelines. Phase 1 clinical pipelines dropped from 25 to 18, while Phase 2 decreased from 34 to 22. In contrast, Phase 3 pipelines declined by only one, from 16 to 15.
"Selective entry of new candidate substances has become evident," the association said. "The reduction in early and mid-stage pipelines reflects a strategy to concentrate resources on projects with proven success probability and market viability."
By company, Sanofi Vaccines led with 15 pipelines—six in Phase 1, five in Phase 2, and four in Phase 3. MSD operates a limited clinical vaccine portfolio with only one Phase 3 project.
Across all six companies, Phase 2 products were most numerous at 22, followed by 18 in Phase 1 and 15 in Phase 3.
By indication, respiratory infectious diseases including influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) formed the core focus. Development of respiratory combination vaccines such as COVID-19 plus influenza and RSV plus human metapneumovirus (hMPV) has expanded. This strategy aims to address seasonal and concurrent outbreaks while maximizing preventive efficacy through improved vaccination convenience.
"Global pharmaceutical companies' strategic direction has shifted from quantitative expansion to portfolio consolidation and priority reallocation," the association analyzed. "Although overall pipelines have shrunk, competitiveness in high-value areas such as combination vaccines has actually strengthened."