What to know about a new Lyme disease vaccine

A new Lyme disease vaccine is seeking FDA approval.

Pfizer and Valneva, a French specialty vaccine company, say a Lyme disease vaccine they are developing has reduced infections by around 70% in clinical trials compared to placebo shots.

The new vaccine differs from most other vaccines, said Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist and scientific communicator.

“It actually works inside the tick. This vaccine trains our body to make antibodies and when a tick bites us, it drinks our blood, it drinks those antibodies and those antibodies then neutralize the bacteria in the tick's gut, stopping it from ever reaching or getting to you," she said.

The big question now: Whether the FDA has enough confidence in the shot to approve it for the general public, Jetelina said.

"Regulators like the FDA require a certain level of confidence before approving a vaccine," she said, and the trial just barely cleared the bar on a secondary measure. As a result, more study may be needed.

More than 475,000 people are treated for Lyme disease each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease generally causes mild flu-like symptoms, but up to 10 percent of cases can also come with neurological and cardiac issues. The latest development from Pfizer and Valneva would mark the first Lyme disease vaccine available for humans since LYMErix was pulled off the market in 2002.

Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins

Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters

PBS News podcasts

Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app

Find more from PBS News at

Subscribe to our YouTube channel