Over 65s

Over 65s

PNEUMOVAX® 23 (pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine)
Prescribing Information [External link]

PPV coverage rate in adults aged ≥65 up to March 2022³

of adults ≥65 years old were unprotected against pneumococcal disease in 2022³

Order and start vaccinating today

Check PPV23 stock status

PNEUMOVAX® 23 (PPV23) can be administered to all patients ≥65 years old at your clinic^1,2 – all year round.

Ageing is associated with increased risk and severity of pneumococcal disease⁴

Over-65-year-olds have a higher risk of developing pneumococcal disease, longer duration of hospitalisation and/or higher rates of mortality.^4–8

The increased risk may be due to:⁴

• A weakened immune system (immunosenescence)
• Presence of comorbidities/other health conditions 

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality from infection in elderly patients⁹

Of the ~187,000 hospital admissions for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in 2019, >70% of patients were over 65 years of age¹⁰

You can help protect your patients from pneumococcal disease all year round*¹ 

PNEUMOVAX® 23 offers immunisation against pneumococcal infections in all adults over 65 years*¹ 

You only need a single 0.5 mL dose (injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly) for most of your eligible patients.^‡1,2 

Efficacy data

Based on real-world evidence:

• Most healthy adults develop a good antibody response to a single dose of PPV23 by the third week following immunisation¹
• PPV23 is shown to be moderately effective at reducing CAP among UK patients aged ≥65, in the two years after vaccination¹¹
  • Vaccine effectiveness is shown to be maintained, and may increase, in the oldest age groups in step with increasing susceptibility to CAP¹¹
• A meta-analysis revealed significant VE of PPV23 against both IPD and pneumococcal pneumonia by any serotype in the elderly, comparable to the efficacy of PCV13 against vaccine-serotype disease in a recent clinical trial in elderly people^‡12
• The efficacy of PPV23 was established for pneumococcal pneumonia in RCTs that were conducted among novice gold miners in South Africa²
• The results from one epidemiologic study suggest that vaccination may provide protection for at least 9 years after receipt of the initial dose of vaccine²

For more information on the safety of PNEUMOVAX® 23, visit our Safety information page

PPV23 is in stock^§ and available to order via ImmForm as part of the NHS National Immunisation Programme, and can be given to your COPD patients at any time during the year^2,13,14 

Check PPV23 stock status

*PNEUMOVAX® 23 (pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine) is recommended for active immunisation against pneumococcal disease in children aged from 2 years, adolescents and adults^2
†Revaccination may be needed in certain at-risk groups. The timing and need of revaccination should be determined on the basis of official recommendations and in line with the SmPC^1,2 
‡A systematic review and meta-analyses of RCTs and observational studies investigating the efficacy of PPV23 against the specific outcomes PP and IPD in people aged ≥60 years living in industrialized countries. Overall, 4 clinical trials
(3 RCTs and one pseudo-randomized trial) and 13 observational studies were included^12
§Subject to supply 

CAP = community acquired pneumonia; IPD = invasive pneumococcal disease; PCV = pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; PP = pneumococcal pneumonia; PPV = pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine; RCT = randomised controlled trial; SmPC = summary of product characteristics; VE = vaccine efficacy

References

1. The Green Book – Immunisation against infectious disease (January 2020). Chapter 25 – Pneumococcal. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/857267/GB_Chapter_25_pneumococcal_January_2020.pdf.
2. Pneumovax-23 Summary of Product Characteristics.
3. UK Health Security Agency. Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV) coverage report, England, April 2021 to March 2022. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pneumococcal-polysaccharide-vaccine-ppv-vaccine-coverage-estimates/pneumococcal-polysaccharide-vaccine-ppv-coverage-report-england-april-2021-to-march-2022.
4. Grant LR, et al. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2021;20(6):691–705.
5. Martins M, et al. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2016;4:e000181.
6. Falcone M, et al. Medicine 2016;95(5):e2531.
7. Restrepo MI, et al. Tuberc Respir Dis. 2018;81:187–197.
8. Dai RX, et al. BMC Pulm Med. 2018;18(1):12.
9. Chebib N, et al. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2021;33(4):1091–1100.
10. Campling J, et al. J Med Econ. 2022;25(1):912–918.
11. Streeter AJ, et al. PLoS One. 2022;17(10):e0275642.
12. Falkenhorst G, et al. PLoS One. 2017;12(1): e0169368.
13. UK Health Security Agency. The complete routine immunisation schedule from February 2022.
14. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. BNF Pneumococcal vaccine. Available at: https://bnf.nice.org.uk/treatment-summaries/pneumococcal-vaccine/.

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Supporting documentation

PNEUMOVAX® 23 (pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine)
Prescribing Information

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