COLLEGEVILLE, Pa., July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE: WYE - News), announced today that the Chilean Ministry of Health, MINSAL (Ministerio de Salud), has become the first government agency to approve Prevenar 13* Valent, (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine 13 Valent (Diphtheria CRM(197) Protein)) for infants and young children. Prevenar 13 Valent is approved for active immunization of children aged 6 weeks through 5 years for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease, as well as pneumonia and otitis media (middle ear infection) caused by 13 pneumococcal serotypes. Pneumococcal disease (PD) is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death worldwide in children younger than 5 years of age and is estimated to cause up to one million deaths in children each year.
Prevenar 13, which builds on the scientific foundation of Prevenar* (Pneumococcal Saccharide Conjugated Vaccine, Adsorbed), is designed to provide the broadest serotype coverage of any pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Prevenar 13 contains 13 serotypes, seven of which (4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F and 23F) are included in Prevenar and six additional serotypes (1, 3, 5, 6A, 7F and 19A) associated with the greatest remaining burden of invasive disease. Notably, serotype 19A is prevalent in many regions of the world and is often associated with antibiotic resistance.
“The approval of Prevenar 13 in Chile is the first of many regulatory decisions we anticipate receiving around the world this year,” says Emilio Emini, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Vaccines Research and Development, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. “We believe that Prevenar 13 is an important milestone in Wyeth’s ongoing commitment to public health in the fight against serious pneumococcal disease worldwide.”
The routine immunization schedule for Prevenar 13 Valent in Chile is at ages 2, 4, 6, and 12 to 15 months, and the vaccine can be administered at the same time as other regularly administered childhood vaccines. Children who have already initiated a vaccination program with Prevenar* can transition to Prevenar 13* Valent at any point in their dosing schedule to help protect them from the six additional disease serotypes included in Prevenar 13 Valent. Children aged 7 months through 5 years should follow the appropriate dosing schedule for their age group. There is no information about the interchangeability of Prevenar or Prevenar 13 Valent with any other pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that does not contain protein carrier CRM(197). Wyeth expects Prevenar 13 Valent will be commercially introduced in Chile later this year.
The Company initiated its global pediatric filings in late 2008 and, to date, has submitted regulatory applications for Prevenar 13 in more than 50 countries spanning six continents and has been granted priority review in the U.S., Canada, Australia and South Africa. Prevenar 13 is also being studied in global Phase 3 clinical trials in adults, with regulatory submissions expected in 2010.
About Pneumococcal Disease
Pneumococcal disease is complex and describes a group of illnesses, all caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumococcal disease affects both children and adults, and includes invasive infections such as bacteremia/sepsis and meningitis, as well as pneumonia and otitis media.
Important Safety Information for Prevenar 13*
In clinical studies, the most commonly reported adverse events in children were injection site reactions, fever, irritability, decreased appetite, and increased and/or decreased sleep. Risks are associated with all vaccines, including Prevenar 13. Hypersensitivity to any vaccine component, including diphtheria toxoid, is a contraindication to its use. As with any vaccine, Prevenar 13 may not provide 100% protection against vaccine serotypes or protect against nonvaccine serotypes.
Important Safety Information for Prevenar*
In clinical studies (n=18,168), the most frequently reported adverse events included injection site reactions, fever (greater than or equal to 38 degrees Celsius/100.4 degrees Fahrenheit), irritability, drowsiness, restless sleep, decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and rash.
Risks are associated with all vaccines, including Prevenar. Hypersensitivity to any vaccine component, including diphtheria toxoid, is a contraindication to its use. Prevenar does not provide 100% protection against vaccine serotypes or protect against nonvaccine serotypes. The decision to administer Prevenar should be based on its efficacy in preventing invasive pneumococcal disease.
The frequency of pneumococcal serotypes and serogroups can vary from country to country, which could influence the effectiveness of the vaccine in any given country.
About Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, has leading products in the areas of women’s health care, infectious disease, gastrointestinal health, central nervous system, inflammation, transplantation, hemophilia, oncology, vaccines and nutritional products.
Wyeth is one of the world’s largest research-driven pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology products, nutritionals and non-prescription medicines that improve the quality of life for people worldwide. The Company’s major divisions include Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal Health.
The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. In particular, clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations, and the views of regulatory agencies, medical and scientific experts and others may differ from ours. There can be no assurance that Prevenar 13 will be commercially successful or will receive regulatory approval in other markets such as the United States and the European Union. Other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include, among others, risks related to our proposed merger with Pfizer, including satisfaction of the conditions of the proposed merger on the proposed timeframe or at all, contractual restrictions on the conduct of our business included in the merger agreement, and the potential for loss of key personnel, disruption in key business activities or any impact on our relationships with third parties as a result of the announcement of the proposed merger; the inherent uncertainty of the timing and success of, and expense associated with, research, development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our products and pipeline products; government cost-containment initiatives; restrictions on third-party payments for our products; substantial competition in our industry, including from branded and generic products; emerging data on our products and pipeline products; the importance of strong performance from our principal products and our anticipated new product introductions; the highly regulated nature of our business; product liability, intellectual property and other litigation risks and environmental liabilities; the outcome of government investigations; uncertainty regarding our intellectual property rights and those of others; difficulties associated with, and regulatory compliance with respect to, manufacturing of our products; risks associated with our strategic relationships; global economic conditions; interest and currency exchange rate fluctuations and volatility in the credit and financial markets; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; trade buying patterns; the impact of legislation and regulatory compliance; risks and uncertainties associated with global operations and sales; and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual report on Form 10-K, particularly the discussion under the caption “Item 1A, Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 2009. The forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified by these risk factors. We assume no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
