The Turkish Government Adds Wyeth's 7-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV7) to Their National Immunisation Schedule

Maidenhead, England (ots/PRNewswire) -

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

Turkey has initiated a national immunization programme (NIP)
against pneumococcal disease with Wyeth's Prevenar(TM) (Pneumococcal
saccharide conjugated vaccine, Adsorbed) - a vaccine which helps
protect infants and young children against the seven serotypes
causing the majority of pneumococcal disease worldwide. There are now
more than 30 countries that include Prevenar in their childhood NIP.

"This important decision by the Turkish government shows a strong
commitment to address this urgent and pressing health issue and to
reduce child mortality," says Dr E. David McIntosh, a paediatrician
and Medical Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa for
Infectious Diseases and Vaccines at Wyeth. "Given the documented
public health benefits of Prevenar in countries where it is routinely
used, this announcement is an important development for the more than
1 million children born every year in Turkey."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pneumococcal
disease causes up to 1 million deaths in children each year and is
the leading vaccine-preventable cause of death in children younger
than five years of age worldwide.

Given the significant burden of pneumococcal disease and the
demonstrated vaccine efficacy, in March 2007, WHO recommended
priority inclusion of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in
national childhood immunization programs worldwide. 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.

"Immunization is one of the most important public health
interventions for the prevention of disease. The inclusion of
pneumococcal vaccination with Prevenar in the national immunization
program in Turkey is an important step to help ensure that our
children will be protected against this serious, and potentially
life-threatening disease," says Professor Mehmet Ceyhan, President of
the Turkish Infectious Diseases Association.

Prevenar, the only licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, is
now available in more than 90 countries around the world, with more
than 200 million doses distributed.

Pneumococcal Disease

Pneumococcal disease affects both children and adults and is a
leading cause of illness and death worldwide. 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.

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; Joanne Wunder,
Ogilvyhealth PR, +44(0)207-108-6076