Prevnar 13 Now Approved in Canada for the Prevention of Vaccine-Type Pneumococcal Pneumonia in Adults Aged 18 Years and Older

Prevnar 13 (pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine) has received Health Canada's approval for active immunization of adults 18 years of age and older for the prevention of pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F and 23F.

"Pneumococcal pneumonia is a leading cause of hospitalization and can pose a serious health risk - particularly to older adults and those who are vulnerable to this infection," says Dr Vivien Brown, Family Physician, University of Toronto, and Board Member of Immunize Canada. "The approval of this new indication for Prevnar 13 in Canada is great news for adults seeking added protection from this debilitating and potentially deadly disease."

Health Canada's approval of Prevnar 13's expanded indication is based on Pfizer's Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA), which evaluated the efficacy of immunization with Prevnar 13 to prevent a first episode of vaccine-type pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults aged 65 and older.

Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus, is the most common bacterial cause of community-acquired pneumonia, and a major cause of illness and death worldwide. Pneumococcal pneumonia is considered non-invasive when bacteria cause infection in the lungs but are not detected in the blood concurrently, or invasive when bacteria also enter the bloodstream or another normally sterile site in the body. For every one case of invasive pneumococcal pneumonia in adults, there are an estimated three cases of non-invasive pneumococcal pneumonia. While non-invasive pneumococcal disease is more common, the invasive form is typically more severe.