Wyeth Lederle Pneumococcal Vaccine Approved in EU For Children, Infants

February 10, 2001

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb 05 - European Union (EU) regulators have

approved for marketing Wyeth Lederle Vaccines' Prevenar for the prevention

of pneumococcal disease caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae in

infants and children up to 2 years of age, American Home Products, Wyeth's

parent company, said on Monday.

Prevenar, or pneumococcal saccharide conjugated vaccine, absorbed, is

already approved in the US, Switzerland, Peru and Argentina.

With the EU approval, the drug becomes the first and only " vaccine for the

prevention of serious pneumococcal disease in infants and young children " in

Europe, Reilly, president of Wyeth Lederle Vaccines, a unit of

Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, said in a news release.

S. pneumoniae causes meningitis, strep throat, middle-ear infections,

non-bacteremic pneumonia, and sepsis and bacteremia, according to the

release. These illnesses, if not treated properly, can lead to hearing loss,

paralysis and brain damage.

On the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, shares of American Home Products

finished trading 60.66, just off a 52-week high of 65.25.

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