Pfizer’s pneumococcal vaccine funded after a blurry 1000+ days

From 1 September, Pfizer’s Prevenar 20 (PCV20) officially enters the National Immunisation Program (NIP), becoming the only funded 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for infants from six weeks of age, children, and adolescents under 18. It replaces PCV13 and Pneumovax 23 in this population cohort.

The long-awaited listing comes after 1006 days since TGA approval, a timeline that many in the sector see as a damning reflection of the vaccine funding processes. The decision lands at a time when invasive pneumococcal disease cases have soared to 2,379 – the highest in two decades.

“The rise in invasive pneumococcal disease cases highlights the evolving nature of these bacteria, including the emergence of new serotypes. Ensuring broader vaccine coverage is essential to protecting children and vulnerable populations from these potentially life-threatening infections,” said Dr Rama Kandasamy, paediatrician and researcher at The Children’s Hospital Westmead and the University of Sydney.

The announcement is tempered by troubling data from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), which shows childhood vaccination rates have fallen for three consecutive years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the new National Immunisation Strategy 2025–2030, “During the COVID-19 pandemic, trust in public health providers and governments was a challenge… affected trust and confidence in both COVID-19 and other vaccines… Community-informed and led communication strategies involving trusted ‘champions’ are often more effective than large-scale media campaigns.”

“Ensuring routine and free access to the latest and most effective vaccines is essential for protecting our most vulnerable populations, particularly young children, from life-threatening illnesses like pneumococcal disease. This new listing provides broader coverage of pneumococcal immunisation for Australian children and is another important step in maintaining our National Immunisation Program,” said Bruce Langoulant, AM, Founder and Chairperson of the Meningitis Centre Australia.

The listing also marks two decades of Pfizer’s footprint in pneumococcal prevention. Since 2005, Australians have had access to Pfizer’s conjugate vaccines, with Prevenar 13 protecting against 13 serotypes in the last decade.

“The introduction of Prevenar 20 to the National Immunisation Program reflects Pfizer’s ongoing dedication to expanding protection against evolving bacterial threats,” said Anne Harris, Pfizer Australia & New Zealand Managing Director.

The National Immunisation Strategy calls the next Essential Vaccines Agreement an opportunity to reset the nation’s vaccination goals, renew performance metrics, and refine funding models. But stakeholders warn that unless recommendations from the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Review are acted upon, Australians risk facing further multi-year delays, such as the 1000+ day gap seen between TGA approval and NIP funding for PCV20.

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