Pfizer to further reduce Prevenar 13 price in poorest nations

Pfizer has announced that it will be taking new steps to make its Prevenar 13 vaccine accessible to people in poor countries through a new agreement with the Gavi Alliance.

The company has committed to a 20 cent reduction of its per-dose price for the new four-dose vial presentation of the pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine, which is expected to be introduced under the Advanced Market Commitment programme in 2016.

This presentation was developed for maximum efficiency and will help to tackle many of the issues faced by healthcare workers in the world's poorest countries, addressing issues pertaining to storage requirements and shipping costs in the field.

Pfizer will extend the new pricing agreement to all Gavi-eligible and Gavi-graduated countries through to 2025.

Susan Silbermann, president and general manager of Pfizer Vaccines, said: "We are pleased to support Gavi in our shared goal of protecting the world's most vulnerable children through a sustainable vaccine programme. No child should die – anywhere in the world – from a vaccine-preventable disease."

This comes after the company applied for European approval of Prevenar 13 in a new indication for the prevention of pneumococcal pneumonia in adults last year.