WHO prequalifies Pfizer’s MDV for Prevenar 13

The World Health Organization (WHO) this week prequalified the four-dose, multi-dose vial (MDV) for Pfizer Inc.’s Prevenar 13.

The prequalification by WHO will allow the Prevenar 13 MDV to be used worldwide by UN agencies and countries that require the WHO prequalification.

“It is unconscionable that children in developing countries are still falling ill, or dying, by the hundreds of thousands every year from preventable diseases like invasive pneumococcal disease and meningitis,” Orin Levine, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s director of vaccine delivery team, said. “We need a range of tools to save children's lives and welcome advances like this one that help improve our ability to prevent life-threatening invasive pneumococcal disease.”

Pfizer was also pleased by the decision.

“[It's] another crucial step in providing broader global access to this important vaccine for those who need it,” President and General Manager of Pfizer Vaccines Susan Silbermann said. “Pfizer is committed to continued innovation aimed at meeting the challenges of the developing world and helping to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease by providing a path for children in resource-limited countries to access a reliable supply of Prevenar 13.”