Pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine: clinical use

Prescribing considerations

• Use according to current national recommendations and verify previous pneumococcal vaccination history.
• Postpone during acute severe febrile illness or acute infection; minor infection alone is not a reason to defer.
• Immune responses may be reduced in immunocompromised people.
• Assess injection-related bleeding risk in thrombocytopenia, coagulation disorders or anticoagulant use.
• Protection is serotype-specific and may be incomplete.

Contraindications and cautions

• Hypersensitivity to the active substances or any excipient.
• Hypersensitivity to diphtheria toxoid or a diphtheria-toxoid-containing vaccine.

Monitoring

• Ensure facilities and trained staff are available to recognise and manage anaphylaxis.
• Record the product name and batch number for traceability.
• Consider respiratory monitoring in very premature infants, particularly those with previous respiratory immaturity.
• Advise reporting suspected adverse reactions through the Yellow Card scheme.

Clinical pharmacology

Capsular polysaccharides conjugated to CRM197 induce T-cell-dependent, serotype-specific IgG and opsonophagocytic antibodies, supporting immune memory and pneumococcal clearance.

Formulation and product differences

• Vaxneuvance contains polysaccharides from 15 serotypes, including 22F and 33F, conjugated to CRM197 and adsorbed on aluminium phosphate; it contains polysorbate 20.
• Prevenar 13 contains polysaccharides from 13 serotypes conjugated to CRM197 and adsorbed on aluminium phosphate; it contains polysorbate 80.
• Both are ready-to-use suspensions for injection in pre-filled syringes and must not be mixed with other medicinal products.