PNEUMOSIL® – The new pneumococcal vaccine from Serum Institute of India achieves WHO prequalification
PNEUMOSIL® (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine – adsorbed, 10 Valent), a well-designed vaccine with relevant serotypes, yet more affordable than the existing PCVs and provide comparable protection by targeting the most prevalent serotypes of the bacterium causing serious illness in developing countries.
As a PCV, PNEUMOSIL® is the similar as the paediatric pneumococcal vaccine already on the market and targets serotypes 1, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 19A, 19F, 23F.
PNEUMOSIL® is WHO pre-qualified for its procurement by United Nations Agencies and GAVI. This marks an important milestone towards accelerated access of this much needed affordable vaccine for the countries with high disease burden.
PNEUMOSIL® developed through a collaboration spanning over a decade between Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd and PATH and with funding from Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Through the collaboration, the vaccine has advanced from preclinical and clinical development to WHO pre-qualification.
PNEUMOSIL® safety and immunogenicity profile is favourably comparable to both currently available licensed and WHO pre-qualified PCVs worldwide. Various seroprevalence assessment estimates PNEUMOSIL® serotype coverage similar to other PCVs in high disease burden countries, including countries with high seroprevalence of 6A and 19A.
PNEUMOSIL® is here! Why this matters?
Each year nearly 400,000 children under 5 years of age die globally from pneumococcal diseases, mostly in Africa, Asia, and LATAM region. WHO pre-qualification opens the door for PCV to be accessible to the countries that can afford and sustain their pneumococcal immunization programme.
The Next Generation Pneumococcal Vaccination.
The Serum Institute’s vaccine is designed to protect children in low-resource countries from the kinds of pneumococcus that cause the most disease where they live at less than two-thirds of the typical cost. That’s why MRCG and PATH have been conducting clinical trials for the next-generation PCV candidate developed by the Serum Institute of India, Pvt. Ltd.
Serum Institute of India Develops Affordable Pneumonia Vaccine
Serum Institute of India develops an affordable pneumonia vaccine. This milestone marks a crucial step toward improving pneumococcal conjugate vaccine affordability and enabling sustainable access for low- and middle-income countries.
Pneumococcal Disease & Prevention
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Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched India’s first indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine, ‘PNEUMOSIL’ manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
One child dies of pneumonia every 39 seconds, agencies warn.
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Boosting vaccine supply for the world’s poorest countries
“An announcement this week that the Serum Institute of India (SII) has become the third supplier of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) under the pneumococcal Advance Market Commitment (AMC), and the first developing country vaccine manufacturer to access the global PCV market.”
SOURCE : GAVI – World leaders make historic commitments to provide equal access to vaccines for allPNEUMOSIL®
About pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that kills more children before their fifth birthday worldwide than any other infectious disease each year, accounting for 15% of all-cause deaths among these children.i The pneumococcus bacterium (Streptococcus pneumoniae) is the primary cause of deadly childhood pneumonia. Other deadly and disabling complications include invasive pneumococcal diseases like meningitis and sepsis (blood infection), as well as more common infections such as otitis media (middle ear infection). The pneumococcus is a complex bacterium with more than 90 varieties (serotypes) that vary by region and kills nearly 400,000 children under five years old globally each year, mostly in Africa and Asia.ii Roughly 50% of the world’s annual pneumococcal child deaths occur in 4 African and Asian countries: India (~68,700 deaths); Nigeria (~49,000); Democratic Republic of Congo (~14,500); and Pakistan (~14,400).iii The pneumococcus spreads through contact with people who carry the bacteria in their nose and throat. Transmission occurs from respiratory droplets from the nose or mouth of an infected person. People, especially children, can be carriers without being sick and spread the bacterium to others. Vaccines are the best way to prevent pneumococcal disease. Antibiotics are first-line treatments, while oxygen therapy can help treat pneumonia but is often a scarce resource for children in low-resource settings. Exclusive breastfeeding,iv good nutrition, hand washing,v and abating indoor air pollution are other preventive measures.