Data reinforces urgent need for pneumococcal disease national immunisation programs across Asia Pacific
Jakarta - /Medianet International-AsiaNet/ -
-- Data confirm the high burden of pneumococcal disease in the Asia Pacific region --
Data presented yesterday at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD) in Reykjavik, Iceland shows the use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to prevent infection is a more effective approach to reducing the burden of disease than any successful treatment option.[1]
This is an important finding given that Pneumococcal Disease (PD) burden is high in Asia.
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV7) is the only licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and is part of the routine national childhood immunization schedule in many countries around the world.[2]
Despite that fact that worldwide, PD is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death in children under five, in Asia Pacific, only Australia and New Zealand have included the PCV-7 as part of its national immunization program.
"While there is a compelling body of evidence demonstrating the public health and economic impact of routine childhood vaccination with PCV7 in a number of countries, we now have data from Asia that convincingly support these benefits regionally," says Kenneth K.C. Lee, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Director of External Affairs, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China.
"By routinely vaccinating our children against pneumococcal disease, we have the ability to help protect the broader community unvaccinated children, parents and grandparents and, with evidence that routine vaccination represents a sound economic investment, there is no reason to delay action to help save lives now."
Due to the significant burden of pneumococcal disease and demonstrated vaccine efficacy, World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the priority inclusion of PCV7 in national childhood immunization programs worldwide.[3]
Specifically, data from Hong Kong and Singapore project that routine use of PCV7 over a 10-year period could prevent an estimated 524 cases and 290 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), respectively, among the birth cohort[4],[5]. In Hong Kong, these averted cases, when combined with more than 2,500 projected averted cases of otitis media, represent a HK$35 million (US$4.5 million) reduction in direct medical costs.[4]
In addition, the data suggest that routine use of the vaccine in young children could help prevent approximately twice as many IPD cases in unvaccinated adults (919 cases in Hong Kong and 653 cases in Singapore), a phenomenon known as indirect effect or "herd" immunity[4],[5]. Importantly, both studies conclude that routine use of PCV7 can help substantially reduce the economic burden on health care systems[4],[5].
Other data presented at ISPPD confirm that the pneumococcal disease burden is high across Asian countries, with the reported incidence of IPD among children younger than five years of age ranging from 30.9 cases per 100,000 in Japan to 276 cases per 100,000 in Bangladesh[4]. Importantly, the data also highlight that vaccine intervention could help prevent between 57 percent and 91 percent of IPD cases in children younger than two years of age in Asia[1].
[1] Garcia C, Center K and Herrera G. Burden of pneumococcal disease (PD) in the Asia-Pacific (AP) region: importance of inclusion of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) into national immunization programs (NIPs). Abstract presented at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD).
[2] Data on file, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc.
[3] World Health Organization. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for childhood immunization, March 2007- WHO position paper. Wkly Epidemiol Record 2007;12: 93-104.
[4] Lee K, Rinaldi F, Lee V, et al. Economic evaluation of universal infant vaccination with 7vPCV in Hong Kong. Abstract presented at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD).
[5] Rinaldi F and Chong C. Predicted impact of a universal infant 7vPCV vaccination program in Singapore. Abstract presented at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD).
Media Contact: Wendy Qin +62 2 8424 8522 +62 404 101 742
SOURCE: Wyeth
Jakarta - /Medianet International-AsiaNet/ -
-- Data confirm the high burden of pneumococcal disease in the Asia Pacific region --
Data presented yesterday at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD) in Reykjavik, Iceland shows the use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to prevent infection is a more effective approach to reducing the burden of disease than any successful treatment option.[1]
This is an important finding given that Pneumococcal Disease (PD) burden is high in Asia.
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV7) is the only licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and is part of the routine national childhood immunization schedule in many countries around the world.[2]
Despite that fact that worldwide, PD is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death in children under five, in Asia Pacific, only Australia and New Zealand have included the PCV-7 as part of its national immunization program.
"While there is a compelling body of evidence demonstrating the public health and economic impact of routine childhood vaccination with PCV7 in a number of countries, we now have data from Asia that convincingly support these benefits regionally," says Kenneth K.C. Lee, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Director of External Affairs, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China.
"By routinely vaccinating our children against pneumococcal disease, we have the ability to help protect the broader community unvaccinated children, parents and grandparents and, with evidence that routine vaccination represents a sound economic investment, there is no reason to delay action to help save lives now."
Due to the significant burden of pneumococcal disease and demonstrated vaccine efficacy, World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the priority inclusion of PCV7 in national childhood immunization programs worldwide.[3]
Specifically, data from Hong Kong and Singapore project that routine use of PCV7 over a 10-year period could prevent an estimated 524 cases and 290 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), respectively, among the birth cohort[4],[5]. In Hong Kong, these averted cases, when combined with more than 2,500 projected averted cases of otitis media, represent a HK$35 million (US$4.5 million) reduction in direct medical costs.[4]
In addition, the data suggest that routine use of the vaccine in young children could help prevent approximately twice as many IPD cases in unvaccinated adults (919 cases in Hong Kong and 653 cases in Singapore), a phenomenon known as indirect effect or "herd" immunity[4],[5]. Importantly, both studies conclude that routine use of PCV7 can help substantially reduce the economic burden on health care systems[4],[5].
Other data presented at ISPPD confirm that the pneumococcal disease burden is high across Asian countries, with the reported incidence of IPD among children younger than five years of age ranging from 30.9 cases per 100,000 in Japan to 276 cases per 100,000 in Bangladesh[4]. Importantly, the data also highlight that vaccine intervention could help prevent between 57 percent and 91 percent of IPD cases in children younger than two years of age in Asia[1].
[1] Garcia C, Center K and Herrera G. Burden of pneumococcal disease (PD) in the Asia-Pacific (AP) region: importance of inclusion of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) into national immunization programs (NIPs). Abstract presented at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD).
[2] Data on file, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc.
[3] World Health Organization. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for childhood immunization, March 2007- WHO position paper. Wkly Epidemiol Record 2007;12: 93-104.
[4] Lee K, Rinaldi F, Lee V, et al. Economic evaluation of universal infant vaccination with 7vPCV in Hong Kong. Abstract presented at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD).
[5] Rinaldi F and Chong C. Predicted impact of a universal infant 7vPCV vaccination program in Singapore. Abstract presented at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD).
Media Contact: Wendy Qin +62 2 8424 8522 +62 404 101 742
SOURCE: Wyeth
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