FDA supports Merck vaccine intended to protect grown-ups from microscopic organisms that can cause pneumonia, and other serious infections. The Food and Medication Organization endorsed Merck's immunization intended to shield grown-ups from a microorganisms known as pneumococcus that can cause serious sickness and a lung disease called pneumonia.
A health advisory board to the Communities for Infectious prevention and Counteraction will meet on June 27 to examine who ought to be qualified for the shot, called Capvaxive.
A severe form of pneumococcal disease that can spread to other parts of the body and lead to pneumonia is prevented by Merck's shot, called Capvaxive, which specifically protects against 21 strains of that bacteria. According to the pharmaceutical company, it is the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine designed specifically for adults and aims to provide greater protection than the currently available shots.
Adults in good health can get pneumococcal disease. However, the illness, particularly its more severe or so-called "invasive" form, is more likely to affect older patients and those with chronic or immunocompromising conditions.
Meningitis, an infection that causes inflammation in the area surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and bacteraemia, an infection that enters the bloodstream, are both complications of invasive pneumococcal disease.
Heather Platt, Merck's product development team leader for the newly approved vaccine, stated to CNBC in an interview, "If you have chronic lung disease, even asthma, you have a higher risk of getting sick with pneumococcal disease, and then being in the hospital," and that "such infections can really affect the quality of life of adults and children." Around 150,000 U.S. grown-ups are hospitalized with pneumococcal pneumonia every year, Platt said.
Merck stated in a December press release that adults over the age of 50 experience the highest rates of death from the disease's more severe form. The company's single-dose vaccine will not yet be available to patients despite the FDA's approval. A warning board to the Habitats for Infectious prevention and Avoidance will meet on June 27 to talk about who should be able to receive the shot. According to Platt, Merck is prepared to supply the vaccine by the end of the summer and will support the committee's decision.
