Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, welcomes the decision by donor countries to focus on the importance of pneumococcal disease and to launch a pilot Advanced Market Commitment, which will help to bring the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to developing countries.

"This financial pledge brings much needed attention to the global burden of pneumococcal disease," says Bernard Poussot, president, chief operating officer and vice chairman, Wyeth. "We join the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations and the global community in commending the donor countries, and look forward to cooperating with international partners with the goal of helping to protect children in developing countries against the potentially devastating consequences of pneumococcal disease."

Wyeth is committed to helping to protect infants and young children against pneumococcal disease and currently markets the only pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevenar, Pneumococcal Saccharide Conjugated Vaccine, Adsorbed, which has been incorporated into many childhood immunization programs around the world and has had a significant public health impact.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), advocated for priority inclusion of Prevenar in national immunization programmes around the world. SAGE recommended that the vaccine be incorporated into immunization programmes now, in view of the demonstrated vaccine efficacy and high disease burden, to help substantially reduce mortality and morbidity.

In addition, Wyeth is now developing a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that targets additional serotypes. This investigational vaccine is currently undergoing clinical development and would potentially offer broader coverage against pneumococcal disease.

Pneumococcal disease is caused by the bacterium S. pneumoniae, and describes a group of illnesses, including bacteremia/sepsis, meningitis, pneumonia and otitis media. Pneumococcal disease affects both children and adults and is a major cause of death and illness worldwide. The WHO estimates that pneumococcal disease results in up to one million deaths each year in children less than 5 years of age worldwide. Further, according to WHO, pneumococcal disease is the number one vaccine-preventable cause of death in children less than 5 years of age worldwide.