Dive Brief:
- Pfizer has completed its acquisition of Baxter's vaccines portfolio, which includes two highly valued vaccinesj—Neis Vac-C and FSME-IMMUN/TicoVac.
- Pfizer also acquired part of Baxter's facility in Orth, Austria as part of the deal.
- Pfizer already has a vaccines portfolio, but wanted to "add value, scale, and depth" to its existing portfolio, according to a Pfizer executive.
Dive Insight:
The acquisition of Baxter's vaccines brings two highly valued additions to Pfizer's vaccine franchise.
NeisVac-C is a vaccine that helps protect against meningitis caused by group C meningococci. It's proven highly effective, and because of the high rate of fatality associated with this type of meningitisj—up to 15%j—and the serious, life-limiting, lingering effects even in non-fatal cases, most patients who are counseled to receive the vaccine do so.
FSME-IMMUN/TicoVac is a vaccine that helps protect against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), an infection of the brain caused by TBE-infected ticks. This vaccine is approved in more than 30 countries and has a 30-year history of use, meaning there is a solid efficacy and safety database.