Pneumococcal pneumonia is the most common type of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia in the United States. About 900,000 Americans get pneumococcal pneumonia each year, nearly half of whom end up in the hospital. Among adults 50 years of age and older, there are close to half of a million cases each year in the United States with approximately 25,000 pneumococcal disease-related deaths annually.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted August 13th to recommend a second vaccine, Prevnar 13, for routine use to help protect adults aged 65 years and older against pneumococcal disease. Specifically, the committee voted to recommend the following:
- Adults 65 years of age or older who have not previously received pneumococcal vaccine or whose previous vaccination history is unknown should receive a dose of Prevnar 13 first, followed by a dose of Pneumovax 23 four to six weeks later
- Adults 65 years of age or older who have not previously received Prevnar 13 and who have previously received one or more doses of Pneumovax 23 should receive a dose of Prevnar 13
The recommendations, including the time intervals between vaccines, will be forwarded to the director of the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for review and approval; once approved, the recommendations are published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
"Immunization with Prevnar 13 can play an important role in helping to reduce the incidence and burden of vaccine-type pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease among adults 65 years of age or older," said Luis Jodar, Ph.D., vice president, Vaccines, Global Medicines Development Group and Scientific Affairs. The committee recognizes the importance of implementing an adult recommendation for Prevnar 13 in advance of the U.S. influenza season, the time of year when this population is most likely to be considering vaccination."
Currently Medicare covers the Pneumovax 23 and the CMS has annnounced they will likely cover the Prevnar 13 in 2016. In the interim we are offering a discounted cash price for this important vaccination. Review our discounted pricing. Both are FDA approved for those fifty and over, but the recommended guidelines suggest starting at 65 unless considered a high risk for contraction.
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