The Food and Drug Administration has given regulatory clearance for the use of Pfizer's (PFE -3.85%) Prevnar 13 vaccine in children between the ages of 6 and 17. Prevnar 13, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that protects against 13 strains of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumonaie, was first introduced into the U.S. in early 2010.
Nearly 120 countries have approved Prevnar 13 for use so far, and more than 500 million doses have been distributed across the globe. Sales continue to rise for Pfizer, with the vaccine scoring $3.72 billion in 2012. Analysts expect that number to jump to as much as $6.75 billion by 2018.
