Wyeth Applauds Six Countries Across Europe, and the Middle East, That Recently Announced the Inclusion of the 7-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV7) in Their Immunization Schedules

Maidenhead, England (ots/PRNewswire) -

- PREVENAR Vaccine to Help Protect Children Against the Leading
Vaccine-Preventable Cause of Death in Young Children

Wyeth applauds the countries of Cyprus, Hungary, the Kingdom of
Bahrain, Republic of Ireland, Slovak Republic and Sweden for
announcing their decisions to routinely immunize infants and young
children against pneumococcal disease by adding PREVENAR(TM) PCV7
(Pneumococcal Saccharide Conjugated Vaccine, Adsorbed) to their
national immunization programs(1). This announcement makes it 24
countries across the world that have now included Prevenar in their
immunizations schedules(1).

"We share these countries' commitment to protecting children from
the potentially devastating effects of pneumococcal disease and
applaud the swift action they have taken in addressing this urgent
and pressing health issue," says Bernard Fritzell, Vice President,
International Scientific & Clinical Affairs, Wyeth Vaccines Research,
in Paris, France. "Wyeth is dedicated to the wellbeing of children
and to working with other governments and agencies to further expand
the access to Prevenar. This includes accelerating the introduction
of the vaccine in those countries that have announced their decision
to incorporate Prevenar in their National Immunisation Programmes but
have yet to introduce the vaccine as part of their immunization
schedule."

This is important news as pneumococcal disease results in 1.6
million deaths per year worldwide, of which up to 1 million deaths
are in children younger than five years of age(2). Pneumococcal
disease is the leading vaccine-preventable cause of death in children
younger than five years of age worldwide(3).

"Specifically, since the introduction of PCV7, into Germany's
paediatric immunization schedule in 2006, there has been a 50 percent
reduction in vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in
children younger than 2 years old compared with a pre-vaccine
baseline(3). In addition, a slight reduction in vaccine-type IPD
among children aged 2-5 years old, an unvaccinated group, also was
documented, suggesting a potential "indirect" effect among older
children who were not immunized(3). Recent data from Germany, France
and the UK highlight the impact of the vaccine in countries where it
is part of the national immunization schedule," says Dr Mark van der
Linden, Head of the National Reference Center for Streptococci at the
Institute of Medical Microbiology, RWTH-Aachen, Germany.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends priority inclusion
of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in national childhood
immunization programs worldwide due to the significant burden of
pneumococcal disease and demonstrated vaccine efficac(6). Recently,
the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) to WHO issued a
preliminary recommendation that pneumococcal disease prevention be
ranked as a very high priority on a global basis(6).

PREVENAR, the only licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, is
now available in 88 countries around the world, with more than 180
million doses distributed(1).

Pneumococcal Disease

Pneumococcal disease affects both children and adults and is a
leading cause of illness and death worldwide(6). Pneumococcal disease
is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae and describes a
group of illnesses, including invasive infections, such as
bacteremia/sepsis and meningitis, as well as pneumonia and upper
respiratory tract infections, including otitis media(7). PREVENAR is
the first and only pneumococcal conjugate vaccine approved to help
protect infants and young children against pneumococcal disease
caused by the serotypes included in the vaccine(7).

References available on request.

Wyeth

Wyeth is one of the world's largest research-driven
pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in
the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of
pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology products, nutritionals and
non-prescription medicines that improve the quality of life for
people worldwide. The Company's major divisions include Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal
Health.

ots Originaltext: Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Media Contacts: Gill Markham, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals,
+44(0)1628-692536