CDC recommends expanded use of Pfizer vaccine

Reuters – Wed, Jun 20, 2012 (Reuters) - An advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted on Wednesday to recommended expanded use of Pfizer Inc's Prevnar 13 vaccine to include adults 19 and older with compromised immune systems due to conditions such as HIV infection, cancer and advanced kidney disease.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)favored the expanded use by a vote of 14-0 with one abstention, the CDC said.

Prevnar 13, one of Pfizer's most important products, prevents pneumococcal pneumonia or invasive disease. Wall Street analysts, on average, have forecast Prevnar 13 sales will reach $6.75 billion by 2016. The company reported sales of $941 million in the first quarter.

"While we view this (recommendation) as an incremental positive, we think the Street expected a positive outcome," ISI Group analyst Mark Schoenebaum said in a research note.

Pfizer shares were off 9 cents at $22.62 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Prevnar 13 was initially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010 for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease caused by the 13 serotypes included in the vaccine in infants and children from 6 weeks through 5 years old.

The FDA in December approved Prevnar 13 for adults age 50 and older. ACIP has not yet recommended the vaccine for that patient population.

"We are committed to continuing discussions with the ACIP with the aim of expanding the recommendations to include all adults 50 years of age and older - a population rapidly increasing in the United States and at risk for developing vaccine-type pneumococcal pneumonia and invasive disease," Pfizer said in a statement.

Pfizer is expecting data next year from a Prevnar 13 trial of more than 84,000 subjects 65 and older to determine if the vaccine is effective in preventing the first episode of community-acquired pneumonia caused by the 13 pneumococcal serotypes in the vaccine.

ACIP is likely awaiting results from that trial, called CAPITA, before making a recommendation for the vaccine's use in older adults.

"The key event for Prevnar 13 remains the data readout in 2013 from the CAPITA adult outcomes study," Schoenebaum said.

The vaccine is not approved for those between the ages of 6 and 49.

(Reporting By Bill Berkrot; editing by Maureen Bavdek and Andre Grenon)

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CDC Recommends Baby Boomers Get Tested for Hepatitis C

This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proposed new recommendations regarding testing for hepatitis C. The recommendations were released in advance of the CDC's first "Hepatitis Testing Day" today.

What are the new recommendations?

The CDC is primarily proposing changes to the way hepatitis C testing is approached in regard to the baby boomer generation. The agency is amending its testing guidelines to recommend everyone born from 1945 to 1965 to be tested for the disease.

Why the proposed changes?

HealthDay News reported the CDC is calling the prevalence of hepatitis C an "unrecognized health crisis," according to Dr. John Ward, who runs the CDC's viral hepatitis division. Hepatitis C can cause serious liver diseases, including liver cancer. It is by far the most common reason people end up needing liver transplants.

Why target the baby boom generation?

Infection in this age group is comparatively high. One in 30 baby boomers has hepatitis C, which is spread by exposure to contaminated blood. Some 2 million of the 3.2 million Americans of those who have hepatitis C are of the baby boom generation, according to BBC News.

Why is hepatitis C more prevalent in baby boomers?

The U.S. only started screening the donated blood used in transfusions in 1992, when the risk factors involved in contracting HIV were better understood. Older Americans have a greater chance of having received a transfusion with tainted blood because of it. Hepatitis C is also connected with intravenous drug use.

What will testing do?

Many people don't know they have the disease, as it can be asymptomatic for quite some time. Testing will allow for treatment before a person can develop the more serious physical ailments associated with hepatitis C, including cirrhosis of the liver or cancer. Approximately 75 percent of hepatitis C infections can be cured due to new therapies that have been developed, according to Reuters.

Vanessa Evan is a musician and freelance writer based in Michigan, with a lifelong interest in health and nutrition issues.

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FDA panel recommends Gilead's Quad for HIV

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Japan market watchdog recommends $2.5 million fine for Olympus

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