Polysaccharide conjugate vaccine against pneumococcal pneumonia in adults.

Background: Pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccines prevent pneumococcal disease in infants, but their efficacy against pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia in adults 65 years of age or older is unknown.

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 84,496 adults 65 years of age or older, we evaluated the efficacy of 13-valent polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in preventing first episodes of vaccine-type strains of pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia, nonbacteremic and noninvasive pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia, and invasive pneumococcal disease. Standard laboratory methods and a serotype-specific urinary antigen detection assay were used to identify community-acquired pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease.

Phase 3 trial evaluating the immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability of manufacturing scale 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) includes polysaccharide conjugates from six pneumococcal serotypes in addition to those in the licensed 7-valent vaccine, thereby offering expanded protection against pneumococcal disease. The phase 3 trial reported here was conducted per a regulatory requirement to evaluate the immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability of two lots of the final PCV13 formulation that differed with respect to production scale but not the manufacturing process. The anti-pneumococcal polysaccharide immunogenicity and safety/tolerability were found to be similar between the two PCV13 vaccine lots.