Wyeth Applauds Six Countries Across Europe, and the Middle East, That Recently Announced the Inclusion of the 7-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV7) in Their Immunization Schedules
08/07/2008 19:00
PR Newswire
MAIDENHEAD, England, July 8 /PRNewswire/ --
- PREVENAR Vaccine to Help Protect Children Against the Leading
Vaccine-Preventable Cause of Death in Young Children
Wyeth applauds the countries of Cyprus, Hungary, the Kingdom of Bahrain,
Republic of Ireland, Slovak Republic and Sweden for announcing their
decisions to routinely immunize infants and young children against
pneumococcal disease by adding PREVENAR(TM) PCV7 (Pneumococcal Saccharide
Conjugated Vaccine, Adsorbed) to their national immunization programs(1). This
announcement makes it 24 countries across the world that have now included
Prevenar in their immunizations schedules(1).
"We share these countries' commitment to protecting children from the
potentially devastating effects of pneumococcal disease and applaud the swift
action they have taken in addressing this urgent and pressing health issue,"
says Bernard Fritzell, Vice President, International Scientific & Clinical
Affairs, Wyeth Vaccines Research, in Paris, France. "Wyeth is dedicated to
the wellbeing of children and to working with other governments and agencies
to further expand the access to Prevenar. This includes accelerating the
introduction of the vaccine in those countries that have announced their
decision to incorporate Prevenar in their National Immunisation Programmes
but have yet to introduce the vaccine as part of their immunization
schedule."
This is important news as pneumococcal disease results in 1.6 million
deaths per year worldwide, of which up to 1 million deaths are in children
younger than five years of age(2). Pneumococcal disease is the leading
vaccine-preventable cause of death in children younger than five years of age
worldwide(3).
"Specifically, since the introduction of PCV7, into Germany's paediatric
immunization schedule in 2006, there has been a 50 percent reduction in
vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children younger than 2
years old compared with a pre-vaccine baseline(3). In addition, a slight
reduction in vaccine-type IPD among children aged 2-5 years old, an
unvaccinated group, also was documented, suggesting a potential "indirect"
effect among older children who were not immunized(3). Recent data from
Germany, France and the UK highlight the impact of the vaccine in countries
where it is part of the national immunization schedule," says Dr Mark van der
Linden, Head of the National Reference Center for Streptococci at the
Institute of Medical Microbiology, RWTH-Aachen, Germany.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends priority inclusion of the
7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in national childhood immunization
programs worldwide due to the significant burden of pneumococcal disease and
demonstrated vaccine efficac(6). Recently, the Strategic Advisory Group of
Experts (SAGE) to WHO issued a preliminary recommendation that pneumococcal
disease prevention be ranked as a very high priority on a global basis(6).
PREVENAR, the only licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, is now
available in 88 countries around the world, with more than 180 million doses
distributed(1).
Pneumococcal Disease
Pneumococcal disease affects both children and adults and is a leading
cause of illness and death worldwide(6). Pneumococcal disease is caused by the
bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae and describes a group of illnesses,
including invasive infections, such as bacteremia/sepsis and meningitis, as
well as pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infections, including otitis
media(7). PREVENAR is the first and only pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
approved to help protect infants and young children against pneumococcal
disease caused by the serotypes included in the vaccine(7).
References available on request.
Wyeth
Wyeth is one of the world's largest research-driven pharmaceutical and
health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery, development,
manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology
products, nutritionals and non-prescription medicines that improve the
quality of life for people worldwide. The Company's major divisions include
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal
Health.
Media Contacts: Gill Markham, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, +44(0)1628-692536
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