Vaxcyte names new CMO, CLO and narrows VAX-31 data timeline

Vaxcyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCVX) announced the appointments of Luis Jodar, Ph.D. as Chief Medical Officer and David McAvoy, J.D. as Chief Legal Officer, according to a press release. The company also narrowed its guidance for topline data from its VAX-31 adult Phase 3 OPUS-1 trial, now expected by the end of October 2026, compared to the previously stated fourth-quarter 2026 timeframe.

Dr. Jodar spent 17 years at Pfizer Inc., most recently as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, where he held senior roles in clinical development and regulatory strategy for products including Prevnar 13 and Prevnar 20. Earlier in his career, he worked with the World Health Organization on the Meningitis Vaccine Project and served as Deputy Director General of the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul. He holds a Ph.D. and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

McAvoy joins Vaxcyte from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, overseeing a 235-person legal, compliance and government affairs organization. He previously served as General Counsel of Endocyte, Inc. through its $2.1 billion acquisition by Novartis AG, and spent 27 years at Eli Lilly and Company in senior legal roles. He holds a Juris Doctor from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

The VAX-31 adult Phase 3 OPUS program comprises three fully enrolled trials — OPUS-1, OPUS-2 and OPUS-3 — with 6,191 adults dosed in total, approximately 3,500 of whom received VAX-31. Data from OPUS-2 and OPUS-3 are expected in the first half of 2027. The trials are designed to support a potential Biologics License Application submission for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia.

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