VAXCYTE Hires Ex-Pfizer Vaccine Chief, Narrows VAX-31 Data Timing
Vaxcyte named Luis Jodar CMO and David McAvoy CLO, and now expects OPUS-1 Phase 3 topline data by the end of October 2026.
Vaxcyte (PCVX) announced on September 3, 2026 the appointment of Luis Jodar, Ph.D. as Chief Medical Officer and David McAvoy, J.D. as Chief Legal Officer, while narrowing the guidance for its most important upcoming catalyst: topline safety, tolerability and immunogenicity data from the VAX-31 adult Phase 3 OPUS-1 pivotal trial are now expected by the end of October 2026, rather than sometime in the fourth quarter.
Jodar spent 17 years at Pfizer, most recently as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, where he was a senior decision-maker on clinical development and regulatory strategy for Prevnar 13, Prevnar 20, Abrysvo, Comirnaty and Paxlovid. Earlier in his career he helped lead the World Health Organization's Meningitis Vaccine Project, which produced MenAfriVac, and served as Deputy Director General of the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul.
He has authored roughly 200 publications and served as the industry representative on the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. His pneumococcal conjugate vaccine background maps directly onto Vaxcyte's lead program.
McAvoy joins from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, where he was Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer leading a 235-person legal, compliance and government affairs organization. He was previously General Counsel of Endocyte through its $2.1 billion acquisition by Novartis, and spent 27 years at Eli Lilly in senior legal roles including General Counsel, International.
CEO and co-founder Grant Pickering said the two join at a pivotal time for the Company, adding that Jodar takes over the clinical and medical organizations as Vaxcyte approaches the OPUS-1 readout and prepares for the planned Biologics License Application and potential launch.
The adult Phase 3 program comprises three fully enrolled trials — OPUS-1, OPUS-2 and OPUS-3 — with 6,191 adults dosed, roughly 3,500 of whom received VAX-31. OPUS-1 is a noninferiority trial designed, in alignment with the FDA, to support potential licensure for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia.
Data from OPUS-2 and OPUS-3 are expected in the first half of 2027. VAX-31 is a 31-valent PCV candidate that Vaxcyte describes as the broadest-spectrum pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate currently in the clinic, and it is also being studied in a Phase 2 infant program.
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