Cyprus and Ireland add Wyeth's Prevenar to immunization schedules

Via its UK subsidiary, US drug major Wyeth announced that Cyprus and the Republic of Ireland have initiated national immunization programs for infants and young children against pneumococcal disease by adding the firm's Prevenar (pneumococcal saccharide conjugated vaccine, adsorbed), also called PCV7, to their national immunization schedules. Including these two, this now makes 26 countries across the world that have included Prevenar in their NIPs, and it is available in a total of 88 countries.

Pneumococcal disease results in approximately 1.6 million deaths per year worldwide of which up to 1 million deaths are in children younger than five years of age. Pneumococcal disease is the leading vaccine-preventable cause of death in children younger than five years of age worldwide.

Wyeth notes that the World Health Organization 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 efficacy. Recently, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts to WHO issued a preliminary recommendation that pneumococcal disease prevention be ranked as a very high priority on a global basis.