Thirty-five countries offer routine immunisation against pneumococcal disease with Prevenar

Prevenar is now included in the national immunisation programmes (NIPs) of 35 countries worldwide.

Prevenar (also referred to as PCV7), the global standard in pneumococcal disease prevention for infants and young children, helps protect against the seven pneumococcal serotypes contained in the vaccine that cause the majority of pneumococcal disease worldwide.

Prevenar has both proven clinical efficacy and documented effectiveness resulting in significant public health impact. More than 235 million doses of Prevenar have been distributed across the world since its introduction.

"Wyeth is pleased that 35 countries now share in the commitment to help protect current and future generations from pneumococcal disease - an urgent and pressing health issue. As a result, nearly 15 million children born this year will have the benefit of protection with Prevenar," says Dr. E. David McIntosh, paediatrician and Wyeth's Medical Director for Infectious Disease and Vaccines in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "Since its introduction, Prevenar has had a substantial impact on public health, dramatically reducing the rate of invasive pneumococcal disease where it is routinely used."

In addition to Saudi Arabia, Oman included Prevenar as part of their NIP in 2009. Other notable NIPs initiated this year include Turkey, with an annual birth rate of more than 1 million, and Sweden.

South Africa, which initiated a national immunisation programme in September 2008, plans to implement it nationwide on 1 April, covering more than 1 million children born this year. Of the 35 countries now including Prevenar on their NIP, 25 are in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which encompasses more than 7 million children born each year.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pneumococcal disease causes up to 1 million deaths in children each year. The WHO recommends priority inclusion of PCV7 in national childhood immunisation programs worldwide due to the significant burden of pneumococcal disease and demonstrated vaccine efficacy.

After inclusion of Prevenar on the national immunisation programme in the US, there was a 98% (95% CI: 97-99) reduction in vaccine-type pneumococcal disease among infants and toddlers younger than 5 years of age compared with a prelicensure baseline. In addition, the incidence of disease caused by the seven conjugate vaccine serotypes declined 55% (95% CI: 51-58) among adults 50 years of age and older, an unvaccinated group.