Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, welcomes Ontario's decision to include CAPVAXIVE® in its publicly funded adult immunization program. This addition helps expand access to pneumococcal immunization for eligible older adults in Ontario.

CAPVAXIVE® is approved by Health Canada for adults 18+ to help prevent invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD)—including serious infections like sepsis, meningitis, and bacteremic pneumonia—caused by 21 Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes.

As pneumococcal disease trends continue to evolve, ongoing surveillance of IPD-causing S. pneumoniae serotypes helps inform public health decision-making and provincial immunization program planning. Canadian surveillance data from 2019 to 2023 showed that the serotypes included in CAPVAXIVE® accounted for ~65% of IPD cases in adults aged 18–49, ~74% of IPD cases in adults aged 50–64, and ~80% of IPD cases in adults aged 65+. These figures were based on surveillance data from the Public Health Agency of Canada and do not reflect the efficacy of CAPVAXIVE®.