By SolaOgundipe

AS part of on-going effort to accelerate overall pneumonia prevention and reduction of the unacceptably high mortality rate of pneumococcal disorders among Nigerian children, Pfizer Specialties is introducing Prevenar 13 – its brand of the PVC 13 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine into the Nigerian market.

In a statement, the company said formal introduction of the new vaccine comes up October 26-28, 2010, in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt.

Pfizer’s Associate Director, Communication and Public Affairs, Mrs. Margaret Olele, said the introduction of the vaccine is in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation.

She asserted Pfizer’s commitment towards reduction of the burden of pneumonia in Nigeria especially among children aged five years. Nigeria currently has the world’s second highest rate of pneumococcal deaths, largely caused by pneumonia in children.

In the view of President of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN), Dr, Dorothy Esangbedo: “With the introduction of Prevenar 13, Nigeria can now fully implement the Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia (GAPP) jointly launched in November 2009 by WHO and UNICEF.” She said the move which is a comprehensive action plan to tackle pneumonia and save more than five million children worldwide, would greatly reduce the number of pneumonia deaths and episodes estimated at six million cases in children under-five every year in Nigeria.

Said Esangbedo: “Prevenar 13 has gone through extensive regulatory approvals including the WHO pre-qualification approval and the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval which makes it the only pneumococcal conjugate vaccine used in the United States of America.”

The vaccine has been duly registered by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as the first ever pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Nigeria.