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Published on: February 23, 2014
The future of pneumococcal disease prevention
Gail L Rodgers1, Keith P Klugman
1Scientific Affairs, Vaccines, Pfizer Inc., 500 Arcola Road, Collegeville, PA 19426, USA. gail.rodgers@pfizer.com
Vaccine
|September 8, 2011
Summary
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) have reduced childhood deaths, but broader serotype coverage is needed. Future vaccines may target common proteins to combat remaining pneumococcal disease burdens.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Pneumococcal disease (PD) is a leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in children globally.
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) protect children by inducing antibodies against bacterial polysaccharide capsules.
- The first heptavalent PCV (PCV7) significantly reduced PD, pneumonia, and otitis media, and induced herd immunity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evolution and impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.
- To highlight the limitations of existing vaccines due to serotype coverage.
- To discuss future directions for broader protection against pneumococcal disease.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.
- Analysis of the serotype composition and efficacy of PCV7, PCV10, and PCV13.
- Discussion of challenges in developing and approving next-generation PCVs.
Main Results:
- PCV7 demonstrated effectiveness in reducing invasive PD and associated conditions.
- Despite PCV7's success, significant disease burden persists due to non-vaccine serotypes.
- Newer vaccines (PCV10, PCV13) offer broader serotype coverage, with a 15-valent vaccine in trials.
Conclusions:
- Current PCVs have limitations in covering all pneumococcal serotypes.
- Future vaccine development should aim for broader coverage, potentially using common protein targets.
- Technical and regulatory hurdles exist for novel protein-based vaccines and higher valency formulations.
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