ACIP revises pneumococcal vaccine recommendations for aged patients

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has updated its vaccination recommendations for immunocompetent adults aged 65 years or older to extend the interval between receipt of the Prevnar 13 and Pneumovax 23 vaccines to at least 1 year. The recommendation was changed to mirror the recommended interval for Prevnar 13 (13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Pfizer; PCV13) and Pneumovax 23 (23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, Merck; PPSV23) sequence in the same age group, and reflects data that suggest improved immune responses with longer vaccination intervals, the researchers wrote. “The difference in the recommended interval depending on the order in which the two vaccines were given added significant complexity to the recommendation … for this age group,” the researchers wrote. “To simplify the recommendations, ACIP assessed whether available evidence would support changing the recommended interval for the PCV13–PPSV23 sequence for immunocompetent adults aged [65 years or older].” If immunocompetent, the previous recommendation for this age group...