--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Pfizer is working to help ensure babies are protected from their first day of life. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94f0905a37143cbb/6a4b5231b7437eebfc1f6624/shutterstock_2126914403.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # Pfizer is working to help ensure babies are protected from their first day of life.  As COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on older people has grabbed many of the headlines during the pandemic, it’s important to remember that millions of babies and young children, particularly in lower- and middle-income nations die every year from bacterial and infectious diseases. Two that can potentially be serious include Group B streptococcus (GBS) disease and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). GBS, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) results from bacteria that reside in the gastrointestinal or reproductive tracts, can be transmitted to babies during birth and potentially cause serious illness or death. RSV is a virus often mistaken for the common cold but that can result in bronchiolitis or pneumonia, conditions particularly dangerous to infants under six months old. To change these outcomes, Pfizer scientists are working on researching and developing maternal vaccines for GBS and RSV, supported in this mission by grants totaling $128 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. By focusing on vaccine candidates that can be administered to pregnant women, the hope is to help protect against illness and disease in infants too young to receive vaccines directly. “This is really about protecting the newborn baby from birth to the first few months of life,” says Annaliesa Anderson, senior vice president and chief scientific officer of vaccine research and development at Pfizer. “Infant immunization schedules start at two months of age. Maternal immunity helps to protect the baby from infectious diseases when it is at its most vulnerable, by generating antibodies that move from the mother to the baby.” Just how do these antibodies make their way to the baby? Perhaps unsurprisingly, the placenta plays a starring role in this transfer. Not only does it draw nutrients from the mother to nourish the fetus, it also acts as a conduit for the movement of antibodies. Only some maternal antibodies will make it across the placenta, and the ones that do travel via specific pathways to reach the fetus. Because newborns’ antibody levels gradually wane over time (as they do in everyone), it’s a good idea for women to carefully consider vaccine recommendations when pregnant. It takes time to mount a peak antibody response after being vaccinated, and early in the third trimester seems to be the sweet spot. Inoculation before this time may still offer a benefit, as studies on pertussis vaccination show that having the shot at roughly 20 weeks results in a healthy amount of antibody transfer. Being vaccinated shortly before giving birth will allow a number of antibodies to cross the placenta, although likely not as much as if done earlier. “ > Infant immunization schedules start at two months of age. Maternal immunity helps to protect the baby from infectious diseases when it is at its most vulnerable, by generating antibodies that move from the mother to the baby.” Annaliesa Anderson, senior vice president and chief scientific officer of vaccine research and development at pfizer  Pfizer is moving steadily toward its goal of advancing its RSV and GBS vaccine candidates. Recently, the company announced results from its Phase 3 maternal RSV vaccine clinical trial. The pre-planned, interim efficacy analysis met the success criterion for one of two primary endpoints. Data showed that the vaccine was 81.8% effective against severe illness in babies from birth through three months of age who received medical support, with 69.4% effectiveness during the six-month follow-up period. Although the statistical success criterion was not met for the second primary endpoint, clinically meaningful efficacy of 57.1% was observed for medically attended lower respiratory tract illness (MA-LRTI) in infants from birth through three months of age. Efficacy for MA-LRTI of 51.3% was observed over the six-month follow up period. The application for approval of the vaccine will be submitted this year; if regulatory approval is received, it will be the first maternal vaccine to help protect against RSV disease. Currently, the GBS maternal vaccine candidate is in a Phase 2 study. The grant from the Gates Foundation will support the manufacturing of Pfizer’s GBS vaccine for Phase 3 clinical trials and, if successful, World Health Organization prequalification. It will also help fund the development of an affordable multidose vial for delivery of the vaccine in lower-income countries via public-sector purchasers, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Pfizer also will use grant money to support the development of an affordable multidose vial for delivery of the RSV vaccine candidate in lower-income countries via public sector purchasers, including Gavi. The work is co-funded by Pfizer and will include feasibility studies, clinical trial material manufacturing, and a trial to confirm that the multidose vial packaging used in lower-income countries is not inferior to those used in wealthier nations. “ > Data showed that the vaccine was 81.8% effective against severe illness in babies from birth through three months of age who received medical support, with 69.4% effectiveness during the six-month follow-up period.”  But while Pfizer’s ultimate goal is to protect babies, its vaccines may benefit mothers, too. Untreated GBS can lead to maternal infection as well as pregnancy complications such as preterm labor or stillbirth. Pregnant women in the U.S. are routinely screened for GBS and treated with antibiotics, and while this reduces the numbers of infected newborns, it has no effect on infection that occurs later in babies. The bottom line? If successfully developed and licensed, maternal vaccines for GBS and RSV may go a long way toward preventing these illnesses, which benefits babies, families, and overburdened healthcare systems. Asked whether she worries about vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women, Anderson points out the long history of administering vaccines to expectant mothers. “In lower- and middle-income countries, tetanus vaccines have been deployed for many years in pregnant women, and it’s had an enormous effect on reducing neonatal tetanus rates–it’s been amazing,” she asserts. Acellular pertussis and flu vaccines also have long been recommended for pregnant women. Because women are more susceptible to infection when pregnant, she says, vaccination is an important measure to help keep both mothers and babies safe. Pfizer’s efforts in maternal vaccine development align perfectly with An Accord for a Healthier World, launched by the company in May 2022\. The accord is an initiative committed to providing equitable access to vaccines and medications to 1.2 billion people in 45 lower-income and lower-middle-income countries on a not-for-profit basis. The vaccines and treatments, for illnesses as varied as COVID-19, pneumonia, cancer, and other inflammatory diseases, would otherwise not be available to residents of these nations. Rwanda recently was the first nation to benefit from this accord, receiving a shipment of lifesaving vaccines and therapies for a variety of conditions. If Pfizer’s plans for their RSV and GBS vaccine candidates fall into place, many countries may eventually receive vaccines for these two diseases as well. As maternal immunization reaps such rich rewards for babies, Pfizer has made it a priority on par with its other immunization efforts. “We’re interested in protecting everyone from birth through to old age,” Anderson states. By investing so much time, energy, and money into developing vaccines that help pregnant women mount antibody responses that traverse the placenta, the company is working to help ensure that babies will be protected from their first day of life onward. [](http://pfizer.com/) Breakthroughs that Change Patients’ Lives [Find Out More](https://www.pfizer.com/science/innovation/maternal-immunization) Pfizer is working to help ensure babies are protected from their first day of life. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/pfizer/pfizer-makes-headway-on-maternal-vaccine-candidates-for-rsv-and-gbs/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/pfizer/pfizer-makes-headway-on-maternal-vaccine-candidates-for-rsv-and-gbs/"},"headline":"Pfizer is working to help ensure babies are protected from their first day of life.","datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:28:48.113Z","dateModified":"2026-06-02T18:05:44.584Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/pfizer/pfizer-makes-headway-on-maternal-vaccine-candidates-for-rsv-and-gbs/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/pfizer/pfizer-makes-headway-on-maternal-vaccine-candidates-for-rsv-and-gbs/","name":"Pfizer is working to help ensure babies are protected from their first day of life."}}]}] ```