Pfizer's Wyeth awarded UK contract to supply Prevenar 13; but drops European OTC ibuprofen/diphenhydramine development

The UK Department of Health has confirmed that US drug behemoth Pfizer's subsidiary, Wyeth, has been awarded the contract to supply Prevenar 13 (Pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine [13-valent, adsorbed]) for the country's childhood immunization program. This decision means that infants in the UK will receive the broadest available protection against pneumococcal disease, a leading cause of vaccine-preventable death in children younger than five years of age.

'We are really pleased that children in the UK will benefit from a vaccine which gives broader protection than the current vaccine against pneumococcal disease,' said Sue Davie, chief executive at the Meningitis Trust, quoted by Wyeth. 'We see the life-changing impact that this disease can have on children and their families and we fully support any advances and improvements,' she added.

Wyeth says that Prevenar 13 can be introduced with minimum disruption to the UK's immunization schedule thereby providing more reassurance to parents and immunizers. A UK study has demonstrated that Prevenar 13, in its 2+1 schedule, is compatible with the other vaccines in the childhood immunization program, which is an important consideration for the introduction of new vaccines. In addition, children who have started their course of immunization with Prevenar can complete it with Prevenar 13 and their response to the seven shared serotypes will not be compromised.