Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is a pneumococcal vaccine made with the conjugate vaccine method and used to protect infants, young children, and geriatrics against disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (the so-called "pneumococcus"). It contains purified capsular polysaccharide of pneumococcal serotypes conjugated to a carrier protein (CRM197) so as to improve antibody response compared to the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of the conjugate vaccine in routine immunizations given to children. Vaccine-mediated immunity is "conferred mainly by opsonophagocytic killing of S. pneumoniae." The most common side effects in children are decreased appetite, fever (only common in children aged six weeks to five years), irritability, reactions at the site of injection (reddening or hardening of the skin, swelling, pain or tenderness), somnolence (sleepiness) and poor quality sleep. In adults and the elderly, the most common side effects are decreased appetite, headaches, diarrhea, fever (only common in adults aged 18 to 29 years), vomiting (only very common in adults aged 18 to 49 years), rash, reactions at the site of injection, limitation of arm movement, arthralgia and myalgia (joint and muscle pain), chills and fatigue.

Brands

Capvaxive Capvaxive is a pneumococcal 21-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV21) manufactured by Merck and was approved for medical use in the United States in June 2024. It is indicated for the active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 3, 6A, 7F, 8, 9N, 10A, 11A, 12F, 15A, 15B, 15C, 16F, 17F, 19A, 20A, 22F, 23A, 23B, 24F, 31, 33F, and 35B in individuals 18 years of age and older; and the active immunization for the prevention of pneumonia caused by S. pneumoniae serotypes 3, 6A, 7F, 8, 9N, 10A, 11A, 12F, 15A, 15C, 16F, 17F, 19A, 20A, 22F, 23A, 23B, 24F, 31, 33F, and 35B in individuals 18 years of age and older. In January 2025, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Capvaxive, a vaccine intended for the prevention of invasive disease and pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. Capvaxive was authorized for medical use in the European Union in March 2025.

Pneumosil Pneumosil is a decavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India. It contains the serotypes 1, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 19A, 19F, and 23F, and was prequalified by WHO in January 2020.

Prevnar Prevnar 20 (PCV20) is the third version of a vaccine produced by the Wyeth subsidiary of Pfizer. In April 2023, the FDA approved Prevnar 20 for the prevention of invasive disease caused by the 20 different serotypes of S. pneumoniae contained in the vaccine (serotypes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 8, 9V, 10A, 11A, 12F, 14, 15B, 18C, 19A, 19F, 22F, 23F, and 33F) for individuals 6 weeks through 17 years of age; and for the prevention of otitis media (ear infection) caused by 7 of the serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae contained in the vaccine for children 6 weeks through 5 years of age. In June 2023, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved PCV20 (Prevnar 20) for use in US children. The second version, Prevnar 13 (PCV13), contained thirteen serotypes of pneumococcus (1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F, and 23F). It replaced Prevnar, the pneumococcal heptavalent conjugate vaccine (PCV7). Prevnar 13 was approved for use in the European Union in December 2009. In February 2010, Prevnar 13 was approved in the United States to replace Prevnar. After waiting for the outcome of a trial underway in the Netherlands, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the vaccine for adults over age 65 in August 2014. The first version, the heptavalent Prevnar (PCV7), was produced from the seven most prevalent strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria in the U.S. (4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, and 23F). Prevnar was approved for use in the United States in February 2000, and vaccination with Prevnar was recommended for all children younger than 2 years and for unvaccinated children between 24 and 59 months old who were at high risk for pneumococcal infections. The formulation resulted in a 98% probability of protection against the constituent strains, which caused 80% of the pneumococcal disease in infants in the U.S. PCV7 is no longer produced. In the Prevnar vaccines, the bacterial cell capsule sugars, a characteristic of these pathogens, are linked (conjugated) through reductive amination to CRM197, a nontoxic recombinant variant of diphtheria toxin. CRM197 is derived from the C7 strain of Corynebacterium diphtheriae grown in a medium of casamino acids and yeast extracts. Bacteria bearing the vaccine's polysaccharide sugars are grown separately in soy peptone broths. The resulting glycoconjugate produces a more robust immune response in most healthy persons. Aluminum is also added to the vaccine as an adjuvant, further enhancing the immune response.

Synflorix Synflorix (PCV10) is produced by GlaxoSmithKline. It is a decavalent vaccine and thus contains ten serotypes of pneumococcus (1, 4, 5, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, and 23F) which are conjugated to a carrier protein. Synflorix received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for use in the European Union in January 2009, and GSK received European Commission authorization to market Synflorix in March 2009.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.