Increased Vaccination Could Curb Burden of Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Investigators found a large burden of hospitalization due to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) for adults in the US, and a large fraction was caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. The results showed that many cases were from serotypes covered by V116 (Capvaxive), an FDA-approved adult-specific 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.¹

Investigators find a large burden of hospitalization due to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) for adults in the US, mainly caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. | Image Credit: kittisak - stock.adobe.com

“We estimated an annual incidence of 340 hospitalizations for CAP per 100 000 adults, which is within the range of estimates from previous prospective studies conducted prior to the COVID pandemic,” the study authors said.¹ “Approximately 14% of hospitalizations for CAP had evidence of S pneumoniae infection, and the majority of those pneumococcal detections corresponded to serotypes included in the newly licensed V116 vaccine, which was not commercially available during the study period.”

In June 2024, the FDA approved V116 for the prevention of pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal pneumonia in adults 18 years and older, which included serotypes related to a majority of invasive cases. Serotypes for the prevention of invasive disease include 3, 6A, 7F, 8, 9N, 10A, 11A, 12F, 15A, 15B, 15C, 16F, 17F, 19A, 20A, 22F, 23A, 23B, 24F, 31, 33F, and 35B as well as serotypes for the prevention of pneumonia that include 3, 6A, 7F, 8, 9N, 10A, 11A, 12F, 15A, 15A, 15C, 16F, 17F, 19A, 20A, 22F, 23A, 23B, 24F, 31, 33F, and 35B. Serotypes 15A, 15C, 16F, 23A, 23B, 24F, 31, and 35B are not covered by any other FDA-approved pneumococcal vaccines.²

In a study (NCT05425732) conducted between July 13, 2022, and November 22, 2022, investigators found that V116 met noninferiority criteria compared with PCV20 for the 10 serotypes in both vaccines. For the 11 serotypes unique to V116, the vaccine met superiority criteria when compared with PCV20, according to the study authors.³

Investigators of the current study included 2016 patients who were hospitalized with all-cause pneumonia, with 1571 patients with blood culture collections and 433 patients with respiratory or sterile compartment specimen cultures. Among all patients, 13.8% had evidence of pneumococcal CAP and 9.8% had evidence of pneumococcal CAP caused by serotypes included in V116, according to the study authors. The median age was 60.1 years, and 36% of patients were Black, 4% were Hispanic, and 60% were White. Furthermore, 92.4% lived in a community dwelling and 27.7% had interactions with children 5 years old and younger.

Approximately 18.4% and 13.8% of patients had a history of vaccination with a pneumococcal polysaccharide or conjugate vaccine, respectively. Investigators found that there was no difference in characteristics for patients with pneumococcal CAP and pneumococcal CAP due to serotypes included in V116. However, the proportion of patients with pneumococcal CAP who interacted with children under 5 years old was higher at 36.2%.¹

Over 4 years, the overall estimated annual incidence of hospitalization for all-cause CAP was 340 per 100,000 adults, but the incidence varied among study years. Investigators found that the low was 192 per 100,000 adults in year 4 and the high was 878 per 100,000 adults in year 2—which was the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. For pneumococcal Cap and CAP due to serotypes in V116, investigators found the overall annual incidence for hospitalization was 43 and 30 per 100,000 adults, respectively, and the incidence per year was similar, with the highest in year 2 and lowest in year 4. Investigators found that in year 4, there were 12 detections of serotypes that were included in PCV15, PCV20, and V116; 4 not included in V116; 4 included in both PCV20 and V116; and 8 included in V116 but not PCV15 or PCV20, according to the results.¹

“With vaccination as the primary preventive measure for pneumococcal pneumonia, improved pneumococcal vaccines with appropriate vaccination coverage could lessen the burden of severe pneumonia on the US population, especially among older adults,” the study authors concluded.¹

READ MORE: Pneumococcal Resource Center

Ready to impress your pharmacy colleagues with the latest drug information, industry trends, and patient care tips? Sign up today for our free Drug Topics newsletter.

REFERENCES

1. Grijalva CG, Johnson KD, Resser JJ, et al. All-cause and pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia hospitalizations among adults in Tennessee and Georgia. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(8):e2524783. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.24783

2. Biscaldi L. FDA approves pneumococcal 21-valent conjugate vaccine Capvaxive. Drug Topics. June 18, 2024. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.drugtopics.com/view/fda-approves-pneumococcal-21-valent-conjugate-vaccine-capvaxive

3. Platt HL, Bruno C, Buntinx E, et al. Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of an adult pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, V116 (STRIDE-3): a randomised, double-blind, active comparator controlled, international phase 3 trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2024;24(10):1141-1150. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(24)00344-X