ADULTS 65+ SHOULD CONSIDER THIS VACCINE TO HELP PREVENT AGAINST PNEUMOCOCCAL PNEUMONIA
KIRKLAND, QC, Nov. 16, 2016 /CNW/ - The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) concludes that there is good evidence to recommend, on an individual basis, the Prevnar® 13 vaccine followed by Pneumovax® 23 for immunocompetent adults aged 65 years and older not previously immunized against pneumococcal disease for the prevention of community-acquired pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F and 23F.1,2
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization provides the Public Health Agency of Canada with ongoing and timely medical, scientific, and public health advice relating to immunization.
“Immunization with Prevnar® 13 can play an important role in helping to reduce the incidence and burden of vaccine-type pneumococcal pneumonia in adults,” says Jelena Vojicic, Vaccines Medical Lead, at Pfizer Canada. “This recommendation further supports the importance of Prevnar® 13 for this high risk population.”
Burden of Pneumonia in Canada
- Pneumococcal pneumonia is one of the leading causes of hospitalization and can pose a serious health risk particularly to older adults and those who are vulnerable to this infection3,4,5
- Elderly individuals with pneumococcal pneumonia have a longer length of hospitalization and higher case-fatality rates than younger groups6
- If pneumonia is severe, the average cost of a 13-day hospital stay is approximately $23,0007
- 72 per cent of adult patients who survive pneumonia will be re-hospitalized within three to five years8
About Prevnar® 13
Prevnar® 13 was first introduced for use in infants and young children in December 2009 in Europe and is now approved for such use in more than 120 countries worldwide, including Canada. It is the most widely used pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in the world, and more than 750 million doses of Prevnar® 7-valent/Prevnar® 13 have been distributed worldwide. In addition, Prevnar® 13 is approved for use in adults in more than 100 countries, and is also approved in Canada, the US, European Union and other countries, for use in older children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years. To learn more about Prevnar® 13, visit prevnar.ca.
About Pfizer Canada Inc.
Pfizer Canada Inc. is the Canadian operation of Pfizer Inc., one of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies. Our diversified health care portfolio includes some of the world’s best known and most prescribed medicines and vaccines. Historically, Pfizer Inc. has invested more than US$7 billion toward developing safe and effective medicines. At Pfizer, we’re working together for a healthier world. To learn more about Pfizer Canada, visit pfizer.ca or you can follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/PfizerCA) or Facebook (facebook.com/PfizerCanada).
References
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1 Public Health Agency of Canada. An Advisory Committee Statement (ACS). National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). Update on the use of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PNEU-C-13) in addition to 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PNEU-P-23) in immunocompetent adults 65 years of age and older Interim Recommendation. June 2016.
2 Prevnar® 13 Product Monograph. December 2015.
3 Ontario Burden of Infectious Disease Study. Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion. 2010. https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/eRepository/ONBoID_ICES_Report_ma18.pdf.
4 Jackson et al. The Burden of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Seniors: Results of a Population-Based Study. CID 2004:39. http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/39/11/1642.full.pdf.
5 Statistics Canada. Leading Causes of Deaths in Canada, 2009, CANSIM Tables 102-0561.
6 McNeil et al. A Retrospective Study of the Clinical Burden of Hospitalized All-Cause and Pneumococcal Pneumonia in Canada. Canadian Respiratory Journal. 2016.
7 Quality-Based Procedures: Clinical Handbook for Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Health Quality Ontario. November 2013.
8 Johnstone et al. Long-Term Morbidity and Mortality After Hospitalization With Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Medicine. 2008.
SOURCE Pfizer Canada Inc.
