3 January 2012
Pfizer Receives FDA Approval to Extend Use of Prevnar 13® for Prevention of Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Invasive Disease in Adults 50 Years and Older
First Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for adults 50+ has potential to help address high incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia.
NEW YORK, December 30, 2011 - Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval of the Company’s pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Prevnar 13® (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]) as a single dose for use in adults. Prevnar 13 is indicated for adults 50 years of age and older for active immunization for the prevention of pneumonia and invasive disease caused by the 13 Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) serotypes contained in the vaccine.
Pneumococcal disease (PD) is a leading public health issue in adults 50 years of age and older, a population rapidly increasing in the United States. In this population, there are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of S. pneumoniae infections per year, including more than 440,000 cases of pneumococcal pneumonia, accounting for an estimated 200,000 emergency department visits and 300,000 hospitalizations.
Pfizer’s application to the U.S. FDA was based on safety and immunogenicity studies involving approximately 6,000 adults 50 years of age and older. In these Phase 3 trials, vaccination with Prevnar 13 was shown to induce a functional antibody response to the 13 serotypes contained in the vaccine in adults 50 years of age and older, including individuals previously vaccinated with the conventional pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) and those naïve to pneumococcal vaccines. The effectiveness of Prevnar 13 administered less than five years after PPSV is not known.
The expanded indication approved by the U.S. FDA is based on immune responses elicited by Prevnar 13, and there have been no controlled trials in adults demonstrating a decrease in pneumococcal pneumonia or invasive pneumococcal disease after vaccination with Prevnar 13.
Pfizer is currently conducting the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA) to fulfill requirements under the accelerated approval pathway. CAPiTA is an efficacy trial involving more than 84,000 subjects designed to evaluate whether Prevnar 13 is effective in preventing the first episode of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by the 13 pneumococcal serotypes contained in the vaccine.
In addition, Pfizer has agreed, as a post-marketing commitment in connection with the approval by the U.S. FDA, to conduct a study evaluating concomitant use of Prevnar 13 and TIV (annual trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine) in adults 50 years of age and older who have been previously immunized with PPSV.
Available in this package:
• Manufacturing footage; laboratory footage, Pfizer signage and exterior; doctor/patient footage; Prevnar product shot.