Pfizer introduces new pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to save more lives

MANILA, Philippines - Protecting the lives of Filipino children, Pfizer Phils. took its first steps in the field of pediatric care after it recently launched a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, 13 valent (Prevenar 13), which has the broadest serotype coverage against invasive pneumococcal diseases (PDs).

Pfizer released Prevenar 13 following its approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the vaccination of children aged six weeks to five years to protect against 13 serotypes of the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, which can cause serious illnesses such as sepsis, meningitis, and pneumonia.

Nilda Enguerra, Pfizer’s vaccines business unit director, said, “As partners working together for a healthier world, it is our role and our responsibility to provide the best available care for our patients. This is a shared responsibility and we — Pfizer, pediatricians, and mothers — are all partners in ensuring our children to live full and healthy lives.”

During the launch, Dr. Keith Klugman, professor of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health and the Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine at Emory University in the US, joined the Pfizer team in discussing the burden of invasive PDs worldwide, while Dr. Jaime Santos, head of the infectious diseases section of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, gave a local perspective on the disease.

“It’s sad that one of out of every 10 deaths among children below five years of age is secondary to pneumococcus,” said Santos.

“The Philippines is among the top 15 countries which have the greatest burden of pneumonia in the world. With the help of Prevenar 13, more Filipino children will be saved from dying young since PDs are vaccine-preventable,” Santos added.    

Enguerra encouraged Filipino mothers to take early action and inquire about PCVs from their pediatricians. For its part, Pfizer will be donating Prevenar vaccinations to benefit the World Vision program for children.

This way, Enguerra said, “We will be able to give the next generation of children a fighting chance at life any way we can.”

Through its global research and development, Pfizer has been providing Filipinos with innovative medicine that treat illnesses from everyday ailments to life-threatening diseases.

For more than five decades now, Pfizer has made significant and sustainable difference in the country by providing innovative products that treat old diseases as well as emerging ones.