Wyeth applauds inclusion of Prevenar in immunisation schedule

Wyeth South Africa applauds the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang on her announcement regarding the inclusion of their 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevenar into the country's immunisation programme. Dr Tshabalala-Msimang made the announcement during the launch of the vaccine in the Eastern Cape district of Ukhahlamba this morning. Prevenar will be made available immediately in the Ukhahlamba district, with the rest of the Eastern Cape districts having access to the vaccine by the end of October. Prevenar will be introduced into the remaining districts in the country by the end of March 2009.

The decision to routinely immunise infants and young children against pneumococcal disease is an important step towards reducing childhood mortality in the country. Including South Africa, there are now 27 countries that have included Prevenar in their national immunisation programmes.

In view of the demonstrated vaccine efficacy and high disease burden of pneumococcal disease, the WHO has recommended the priority inclusion of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in national childhood immunisation programmes to help substantially reduce mortality and morbidity worldwide.

“The Minister and Department of Health needs to be commended on leading the way on the African continent in introducing this vaccine. The scientific evidence supporting the usefulness of this vaccine in reducing childhood pneumonia by 20-37% and death by up to 16% is beyond reproach. The introduction of this vaccine into the public immunisation programme will not only narrow the inequity in health care between the private and public sector in South Africa, but will especially benefit the most vulnerable groups of children in our country. In particular, children that live in rural areas with limited access to curative services as well as HIV infected children who suffer from a disproportionately high burden of pneumococcal disease stand to benefit the most from being protected against this most common cause of bacterial infection,” says Prof. Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology, Chair: Department of Science and Technology/ National Research Foundation: Vaccine Preventable Diseases, University of the Witwatersrand.

Wyeth is dedicated to the wellbeing of children, and is therefore committed to working with other governments and agencies to further expand the access to Prevenar. Pneumococcal disease results in 1.6 million deaths per year worldwide, of which up to 1 million deaths are in children younger than five years of age. Pneumococcal disease is the leading vaccine-preventable cause of death in children younger than five years of age worldwide .

“Wyeth is pleased to be part of this initiative and welcomes the introduction of this life-saving vaccine into the national schedule,” says Dr Ramasamy, Medical Director of Wyeth South Africa.

Prevenar, the only licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, is now available in 88 countries around the world, with more than 180 million doses distributed to date.
Pneumococcal Disease

Pneumococcal disease affects both children and adults and is a leading cause of illness and death worldwide. Pneumococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae and describes a group of illnesses, including invasive infections, such as bacteraemia/sepsis and meningitis, as well as pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infections, including otitis media.

Important Safety Information for PREVENAR

In clinical studies (n=18,168), the most frequently reported adverse events included injection site reactions, fever (>38°C), irritability, drowsiness, restless sleep, decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, and rash. Risks are associated with all vaccines, including PREVENAR. Hypersensitivity to any vaccine component, including diphtheria toxoid, is a contra-indication to its use. PREVENAR does not provide 100 percent protection against vaccine serotypes or protect against non-vaccine serotypes.

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Nusreen Khan
Wyeth South Africa (Pty) Ltd
011-655-2700