Wyeth comments on Prevnar

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has commented on studies for Prevnar, a vaccine which helps to protect against the seven pneumococcal serotypes.

Wyeth’s comments come ahead of a presentation of the Prevnar studies at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

Studies will report the public health impact of routine use of Prevnar in the US detailing that there has been a 98 per cent reduction in vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) among children younger than five years of age compared with a pre-vaccine baseline.

Peter Paradiso, vice president of scientific affairs at Wyeth Vaccine, has specifically commented on data showing the emergence of disease caused by non-vaccine serotype 19A, underscoring the need for broader spectrum pneumococcal vaccines.

“It is important to note that some non-vaccine serotypes, most notably 19A, are emerging globally and have been documented both in regions where Prevnar is available, as well as in areas where it is not widely used,” he said.

He went on to outline how data presented at an earlier IDSA had shown an increase in disease caused by serotype 19A prior to the introduction of Prevnar which would indicate that events may occur in the absence of vaccination.

This week, Wyeth announced the election of a new president and chief executive officer, with Bernard Poussot winning the appointment to the role.