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PNEUMOVAX
23—
Helps
protect against multiple pneumococcal types.
Persons aged 50 to 64 years commonly
have chronic illness and may be at increased risk
for invasive pneumococcal disease.1
Invasive pneumococcal disease
is a serious threat.
PNEUMOVAX 23 is indicated
for vaccination against pneumococcal disease caused
by those pneumococcal types included in the vaccine.
Select
Safety Information
PNEUMOVAX 23 is contraindicated in individuals
who are hypersensitive to any component of the
vaccine.
PNEUMOVAX 23 will not prevent disease
caused by capsular types of pneumococcus other than
those
contained in
the vaccine.
The most common adverse experiences
reported with PNEUMOVAX 23 in clinical trials were:
Local reaction at injection site including soreness,
erythema, warmth, swelling
and induration; and fever <102°F.
In post-marketing experience, injection site cellulitis-like
reactions were reported rarely; between 1989 and
2002, when approximately 43 million doses were distributed,
the annual reporting rate was <2/100,000 doses.
These cellulitis-like reactions occurred with initial
and repeat vaccination at a median onset time of
2 days after vaccine administration. Systemic signs
and symptoms including fever, leukocytosis and an
increase in the laboratory value for serum C-reactive
protein may be associated with local reactions.
PNEUMOVAX 23 is not indicated in children less than
2 years of age. Safety and effectiveness in children
below the age of 2 years have not been established.
Children in this age group respond poorly to the
capsular types contained in this vaccine.
Vaccination
with PNEUMOVAX 23 may not offer 100%
protection from pneumococcal infection.
Before administering PNEUMOVAX 23, please read the Prescribing
Information.
Many are at risk.
US vaccination
rates are low, leaving millions at risk for invasive
pneumococcal diseases.2
- Current pneumococcal vaccination rates are far
below the US Department of Health and Human Services'
national goals2:
-
NONE of the
50 states has met the goal for pneumococcal vaccination for >65 years of
age.2
More
patients may be at risk than you think.
The CDCa published ACIPb recommendations
for the pneumococcal vaccination of patients you
may see every day:
PNEUMOVAX 23 is indicated for vaccination against
pneumococcal disease caused by those pneumococcal
types included in the vaccine.
Select Safety Information
PNEUMOVAX 23 is contraindicated
in individuals who are hypersensitive to any component
of the vaccine.
For planning cancer chemotherapy or other immunosuppressive
therapy (eg, for patients with Hodgkin’s disease
or those who undergo organ or bone marrow transplantation),
pneumococcal vaccination should be administered at
least two weeks prior to the initiation of immunosuppressive
therapy. Vaccination during chemotherapy or radiation
therapy should be avoided.
If the vaccine is used in persons receiving immunosuppressive
therapy, the expected serum antibody response may
not be obtained and potential impairment of future
immune responses to pneumococcal antigens may occur.
PNEUMOVAX 23 should be given to pregnant women only
if clearly needed.
Since elderly
individuals may not tolerate medical interventions
as well as younger individuals, a
higher frequency and/or greater severity of reactions
in some older individuals cannot be ruled out.
Check
the status of pneumococcal vaccination for patients
at increased risk, especially those 65
years of age and older, at their next office visit.
Every
visit is an opportunity.
Primary care physicians can be the primary line of
defense for their at-risk patients.4
- In
an analysis of missed opportunities for vaccination
in the 2 years prior to developing invasive pneumococcal
disease:
— 92% of unvaccinated patients did not receive vaccination on one or more
occasions when there
was an opportunity4
— 76% had visited their main health care provider at least one time prior
to illness4
- In a study (1995–1998), 59% of cases of
invasive pneumococcal disease in adults 18 to 64
years of age occurred in patients
with chronic illnesses who were candidates for the pneumococcal vaccine.5
Select Safety Information
Any
febrile respiratory illness or other active infection is reason for delaying
use of PNEUMOVAX 23, except when, in the opinion of the physician, withholding
the agent entails even greater risk.
Vaccination with PNEUMOVAX 23 may
not offer 100% protection from pneumococcal infection.
Before administering PNEUMOVAX 23, please read the Prescribing
Information.
Help
raise awareness about pneumococcal disease.
Please view our resource catalog to order complimentary
resources that may help educate patients and
support your vaccination efforts.
Please
go to the pneumococcal disease page to learn more
about this serious threat to millions of patients
at risk.
PNEUMOVAX 23 is a registered trademark
of Merck & Co., Inc.
References:
1. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prevention
of pneumococcal disease.
Recommendations
of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
(ACIP). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.
1997;46(RR-8):1–24. 2. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Influenza
and pneumococcal vaccination coverage among persons
aged
>65 years and persons aged 18–64 years
with diabetes and asthma—United States, 2003.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.
2004;53(43):1007–1011. 3. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vaccination
coverage among US adults: National Immunization Survey—Adult,
2007. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/stats-surv/nis/downloads/nis-adult-summer-2007.pdf. 4. Kyaw
MH, Greene CM, Schaffner W, et al, and Active
Bacterial Core Surveillance Program of the Emerging
Infections Program Network. Adults with invasive
pneumococcal
disease. Missed opportunities for vaccination. Am
J Prev Med. 2006;31(4):286–292. 5. Robinson
KA, Baughman W, Rothrock G, et al. Epidemiology of
invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae infections in the
United States, 1995–1998. Opportunities for
prevention in the conjugate vaccine era. JAMA.
2001;285(13):1729–1735.
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