Pfizer Inc. announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend Prevnar 13® (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein] (PCV13) for routine use to help protect adults aged 65 years and older against pneumococcal disease, which includes pneumonia caused by the 13 pneumococcal serotypes included in the vaccine. Specifically, the ACIP voted to recommend the following:
- Adults 65 years of age or older who have not previously received pneumococcal vaccine or whose previous vaccination history is unknown should receive a dose of PCV13 first, followed by a dose of PPSV23
- Adults 65 years of age or older who have not previously received PCV13 and who have previously received one or more doses of PPSV23 should receive a dose of PCV13
- The recommendations for routine PCV13 use among adults 65 years and older* should be re-evaluated in 2018 and revised as needed (*if approved by ACIP and CDC Director)
The recommendations, including the time intervals between vaccines, will be forwarded to the director of the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for review and approval; once approved, the recommendations are published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
“Immunization with Prevnar 13 can play an important role in helping to reduce the incidence and burden of vaccine-type pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease among adults 65 years of age or older,” said Luis Jodar, Ph.D., vice president, Vaccines, Global Medicines Development Group and Scientific Affairs. “This additional ACIP meeting recognizes the importance of implementing an adult recommendation for Prevnar 13 in advance of the U.S. influenza season, the time of year when this population is most likely to be considering vaccination.”
Pneumococcal pneumonia is the most common type of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia in the United States. About 900,000 Americans get pneumococcal pneumonia each year, nearly half of whom end up in the hospital. Among adults 50 years of age and older, there are approximately 440,000 cases of pneumococcal pneumonia each year in the United States, with approximately 25,000 pneumococcal disease-related deaths annually.
“Estimates have placed the yearly direct and indirect costs of adult hospitalizations and outpatient cases due to pneumococcal pneumonia in the United States at nearly $5 billion,” said Susan Silbermann, President, Pfizer Vaccines. “As health care professionals in the US begin to implement this new ACIP recommendation, we believe that Prevnar 13 can now help prevent vaccine-type pneumococcal pneumonia in older adults and has the potential to provide an important public health benefit. Pfizer remains committed to working with the healthcare and public health communities to raise awareness of the importance of adult immunization among consumers.”
About Pneumococcal Disease
Pneumococcal disease refers to a group of illnesses caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Invasive pneumococcal disease occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream or another site that is normally sterile. Non-invasive pneumococcal pneumonia occurs when the bacteria cause infection in the lungs but are not detected in the blood concurrently. In adults, pneumonia is the most common presentation of pneumococcal disease. For every one case of invasive pneumococcal pneumonia in adults, it is estimated that at least three cases of non-invasive pneumococcal pneumonia occur. While non-invasive forms of pneumococcal disease are typically more common, the invasive types of disease are generally more severe.
About Prevnar 13
Prevnar 13 was first introduced for use in infants and young children in December 2009 in Europe and is now approved for such use in more than 120 countries worldwide, including the United States and Japan. It is the most widely used pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in the world, and more than 640 million doses of Prevnar 7-valent/Prevnar 13 have been distributed worldwide. In addition, Prevnar 13 is approved for use in adults 50 years of age and older in more than 90 countries, and it is also approved in the United States and European Union (EU) for use in older children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years. Prevnar 13 is also approved in the EU for use in adults 18 to 49 years of age.
