Pfizer expands Prevenar 13 donation programme

Pfizer has announced plans to expand its programme of global donations of the pneumococcal vaccine Prevenar 13, in order to aid international health initiatives.

According to the terms of its newly-agreed second supply arrangement, the pharmaceutical company is now committed to supplying up to 480 million doses of the drug through to 2023, building on its original pledge of 300 million in March 2010.

This agreement is part of the Advance Market Commitment programme launched by the GAVI Alliance, which aims to create a sustainable supply of essential therapies to the world's poorest countries.

It will also expand access to Prevenar 13, which offers protection from the 13 most prevalent invasive disease-causing serotypes among young children worldwide and is approved for use in more than 100 countries.

Mark Swindell, president of vaccines at Pfizer, said: "We are proud to help protect even more children at risk for the potentially devastating consequences of pneumococcal disease, which claims more young children's lives than any other vaccine-preventable disease."

This comes after the organisation won the 2011 Business Civic Leadership Center's corporate citizenship award last month, thanks to the success of its Global Health Partnerships programme.