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Vaccine Panel Changes Recommendation

By JAMES PILCHER

..c The Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) - Worried about the high price of a vaccine that fights ear

infections, pneumonia and meningitis, a government advisory committee changed

its initial recommendation and voted Wednesday to require that fewer children

get the shots.

The vaccine Prevenar should be administered to all children under 2, and to

those ages 2 to 5 who are at high risk of contracting the diseases, said the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on

Immunization Practices.

It was only the second time the committee has ever debated the potential

economic impact of a vaccine, marking a potential shift in what medical

experts consider before making a recommendation.

``We're having to look at cost more and more,'' said Dr. Modlin,

committee chairman and a professor of pediatric medicine at Dartmouth

University.

In October, the commitee had voted to recommend Prevenar, which costs $232

per four-dose series, for all children under 5.

Food and Drug Administration approval of the vaccine is expected this week,

and its manufacturer, American Home Products, will begin marketing it this

spring.

Prevenar fights the bacterium streptococcus pneumoniae - the leading cause of

pneumonia, meningitis and the millions of ear infections that lead to crammed

pediatrician waiting rooms every year.

According to a study, the vaccine reduced ear infections by 9 percent. Doctor

visits by those who were diagnosed as having chronic ear infections and took

the vaccine were down 20 percent, and there was a 20 percent reduction in the

number of children who needed tube implants to fight the infections.

AP-NY-02-16-00 1707EST