Esposito (UniPr): “Conjugated anti-pneumococcal drugs halve infections in children”

The introduction of conjugated anti-pneumococcal vaccines in pediatric age has practically halved the incidence and mortality of infections in this population, but in the elderly, despite “a 9% drop in overall pneumococcal pathologies, a 67% drop in those caused from serotypes contained in the heptavalent vaccine, of 38% of those determined by the serotypes contained in the 13-valent vaccine, a 73% increase in the pathology caused by serotypes not contained in that” with 13 strains was observed, which is why it was import the enlargement and inclusion of new serotypes” considering, among the hundreds of Streptococcus pneumoniae, those that are “most involved in invasive diseases”. This was stated by Susanna Esposito, director of the pediatric clinic at Pietro Barilla Aou hospital in Parma and full professor of Paediatrics, University of Parma, speaking this morning in Rome at a meeting with the press, organized by MSD to present the positive data from numerous studies of Phase 3 discussed during the 13th Meeting of the International Society of Pneumonia and Pneumococcal Diseases (Isppd), which evaluated V116, the first 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, with 8 exclusive serotypes, designed to specifically protect adults.

“The first year of life and advanced age have the highest incidence of pneumococcal infections – explains Esposito – there are 14.4 cases per 100 thousand. The value drops, halves, between 1 and 4 years, then declines further and starts to rise again in adults and, above all, in the elderly. Pneumococcus causes acute middle ear infections, typical pathologies in the first 2 years of life which recur in 30% of cases, and pneumonia, meningitis or sepsis even in the elderly. Vaccinations with conjugated vaccines introduced in 2000 show that coverage in pediatric age is good” and give important results.

In children, after “the introduction of the heptavalent in 2000, the 10-valent in 2009, the 13-valent in 2010 and the 15-valent in 2022″ there has been an overall drop in the incidence of invasive pathologies of 40% since 2000 to 2015, with a reduction in pneumococcal mortality worldwide in children in the first 5 years of age of 50% – adds the expert – However, still, in 2015 pneumococcal deaths in children under 5 years of age were 300 thousand and invasive diseases in general in the population have led to one million deaths in the United States”. In this regard, the use of the 21-valent vaccine in children with chronic diseases, “about 20% of the pediatric population”, is being studied, for which “administration after that of the 15-valent vaccine would be indicated”, concludes the professor.