Photo: Getty
A new vaccine to treatLyme diseaseis in its final stages of development.
The proposed new drug comes as cases surge around the world, in part due to climate change. The incidence of Lyme disease in the United States has nearly doubled since 1991,according to the EPA.
“With increasing global rates of Lyme disease, providing a new option for people to help protect themselves from the disease is more important than ever,” Annaliesa Anderson, senior vice president and head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer,said in a statement. “We hope that the data generated from the Phase 3 study will further support the positive evidence for VLA15 to date, and we are looking forward to collaborating with the research sites across the U.S. and Europe on this important trial.”
The study involves participants 5 years of age and older in about 50 sites around the globe where Lyme disease is “highly endemic,” including Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the United States, Pfizer said.
Getty
A vaccine called LYMErix was available in the late 1990s, but was discontinued in 2002 due to poor sales, according toNBC News.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Once thought to be prevalent only in New England, the disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S. Cases have been reported in all 50 states, perThe Post.
Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a telltale “target” rash called erythema migrans, per the CDC.
If left untreated, the infection can spread to the heart, joints and nervous system.
source: people.com
