Pfizer's enhanced pneumococcal vaccine arriving in Korea next year

By LEE JAE-LIM, Korea JoongAng Daily - Pfizer aims to release its latest pneumococcal vaccine, Prevnar 20, early next year in Korea.

Prevnar, suitable for all individuals six weeks and older, offers protection against seven new serotypes, or variants of bacteria that cause pneumococcal disease, in addition to the 13 already included in the previous Prevnar 13, to offer the broadest serotype coverage among pneumococcal vaccines approved in Korea. It covers five more serotypes than Merck’s pneumococcal vaccine, Vaxneuvance, which was included in the national immunization program for children in April.

Prevnar 20 received a green light from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Oct. 31.

“While we don’t have any specific official schedule to announce at this time, we are preparing to launch as early as possible next year,” Kim Eun-ji, Pfizer Korea’s head of primary-care marketing, said at a press event introducing the new vaccine at Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Tuesday.

The company announced neither a price nor a method of distribution at the event.

Pfizer’s Prevnar vaccines have proven efficient in reducing the spread of relevant diseases, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After the rollout of Prevnar 7 in 2000 and Prevnar 13 in 2010, cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in children younger than 5 years old were reduced 99 percent in the United States.

“While there are no prevalence studies in Korea, trend data shows that the rate of invasive infections caused by pneumococci declined sharply after domestic launch of Prevnar 13,” said Prof. Park Soo-eun of pediatrics department at Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, who attended the event to explain the vaccine's effectiveness. “Back in the 1990s, I would treat more than one case of pneumococcal infection per month, but now, it’s down to about one or two cases per year.”

Whether Prevnar 13 will be pulled out of Korea after the release of subsequent vaccine is also pending.

“While we anticipate a swift market shift toward Prevnar 20 after its launch, there has not yet been any company-level decision to officially withdraw Prevnar 13,” Kim said. “It seems likely that the final decision will be made gradually after observing market demand.”

Source:https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-11-19/business/industry/Pfizers-enhanced-pneumococcal-vaccine-arriving-in-Korea-next-year/2181346

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