On Tuesday, Pfizer (PFE +1.56%) announced that the European Commission has approved expanding use of the company's pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevenar 13, for immunizing children aged 6 to 17 against Streptococcus pneumonia. The vaccination can be done in one dose.
In the U.S., Prevnar 13, as it is labeled here, is only approved for use in children ages 6 weeks through 5 years, for the prevention of invasive diseases such as meningitis and bacteremia, as well as for adults aged 50 and older, for active immunization against pneumonia.
Prevenar 13 was first introduced for use in infants and young children in December 2009 in Europe and is approved for such use in more than 120 countries worldwide. More than 500 million doses of Prevenar/Prevenar 13 having been distributed worldwide.
