US CDC advisers recommend expanding pneumococcal vaccine to adults aged 50-64

(Reuters) -Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday recommended expanding the use of vaccines to adults between 50-64 years to protect against pneumococcal disease.

The CDC currently recommends all children younger than 5 and all adults 65 years or older get vaccinated for the disease.

Vaccination is also recommended for some children and adults with certain conditions.

The agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 14 to one in favor of expanding the vaccine's use to all adults aged 50 years or older.

Earlier in the day, the CDC's work group backed the use of the vaccine in the same cohort of adults.

The CDC director needs to sign off on the recommendation before the vaccines can be made available.

Vaccines from Merck and Pfizer are currently available in the U.S. market.

Merck offers three approved pneumococcal vaccines, including Vaxneuvance for individuals aged six weeks and older and Pneumovax 23 for adults over 50 and those aged two and above.

In June, the U.S. health regulator approved Merck's next-generation vaccine, Capvaxive, for adults 18 and older, which helps produce an immune response against all 21 serotypes of the bacteria.

Pfizer's Prevnar 20 is approved for adults 18 and older and protects against 20 serotypes. It is also approved for infants aged six weeks to 17 years.

Pneumococcal disease can cause infections in several body parts, including lung pneumonia, and spreads through direct contact with respiratory secretions such as saliva or mucus.

Children younger than five years old and adults 65 years and above are at an increased risk of contracting the disease.

(Reporting by Sriparna Roy and Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)