Protection is better than with PCV7.
The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) offers better protection than its predecessor, PCV7, against acute otitis media caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, according to an industry-supported study in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. Although approved in 2010 for numerous indications, PCV13 is not currently indicated to protect against acute otitis media caused by the six additional pneumococcal serotypes it contains.
In the current study, roughly 240 healthy children from one practice who received the full primary series of PCV13 were compared with 350 children who received PCV7 (before PCV13 was approved).
During follow-up through age 30 to 36 months, S. pneumoniae was isolated from 24% of middle-ear fluid samples from chil…