Prevenar 13 vaccine prevents pneumococcal disease in older adults

Pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccines (in which a bacterial polysaccharide is covalently conjugated to an immunogenic carrier protein) are effective in preventing pneumococcal disease in children.

Now, a 13-valent polysaccharide conjugate vaccine, Pfizer’s Prevenar 13, has demonstrated efficacy in older adults in a study published in The
New England Journal of Medicine
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(2015;372(12):1114–1125). Results of the CAPiTA trial, which involved nearly 85,000 participants aged 65 years and over, show that Prevenar 13 prevented vaccine-type pneumococcal, bacteraemic and nonbacteraemic community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD).

Pneumococcal CAP and IPD are major causes of morbidity and mortality. The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is currently reviewing the national adult pneumococcal immunisation programme, including the potential inclusion of Prevenar 13.