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Recommendations for vaccinating adults against pneumococcal disease have changed three times in the past decade, and now they are changing yet again, with the recent U.S. FDA approval of two new pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs).
The 15-valent PCV (PVC15; Vaxneuvance, Merck) and the 20-valent PCV (PVC20; Prevnar-20, Wyeth) add additional serotypes to those contained in the older 13-valent PCV (PVC13; Prevnar-13, Wyeth). All three PCVs are more immunogenic than the venerable 23-valent polysaccharide-based Pneumovax (PPSV23), although the latter covers more serotypes. Both new PCVs elicited good immunologic responses in adult volunteers; actual clinical data are not available for either one. They are not yet approved for children.
The upda…