Incepta brings country's first pneumonia vaccine for all age groups 

Incepta Pharmaceuticals has launched a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine called Evimar-13 targeting pneumonia and pneumococcal diseases.

Experts believe this vaccine will play an effective role in preventing all pneumococcal diseases.

Individuals aged six weeks to 65 years old are eligible to receive this vaccine. This marks the country's first pneumonia vaccine designed for all age groups, including newborns.

On the occasion of the unveiling of Evimar-13, a scientific seminar was held at InterContinental by the association Bangladesh Lung Foundation (BLF) on Thursday.

The seminar, titled "Respiratory Vaccines", brought together esteemed experts, including Prof Md Ruhul Amin, Prof Mohammad Mohiuddin Ahmad, Dr Mohammad Abdus Shakur Khan, Dr AKM Akramul Haque, and Dr Golam Sarwar LH Bhuiyan, to discuss the impact of pneumococcal diseases, the role of Evimar-13 in prevention, and the broader implications for public health.

The seminar was chaired by BLF President Dr Md Ali Hossain, renowned professor of respiratory medicine and also ex-director of the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital.

Dr Hossain said, "We are leaning towards this vaccine because it can be given to any age group, its immunity lasts for a long time, and it is effective against 90 serotypes. Diabetics and kidney patients can also take this vaccine to prevent pneumonia or pneumococcal disease."

"I hope Incepta Pharmaceutical will also bring the globally recognised Evimar-20 vaccine to the country, as they have that facility. It is necessary to take this vaccine not only for protection from pneumonia but also for the protection of the adult population," he added.

In this event, doctors said Evimar-13 marks a significant step in preventing pneumococcal infections. Pneumonia and other pneumococcal infections pose a considerable risk to public health, especially for chronic care patients like asthma, COPD patients, cardiac patients, kidney disease patients, etc.

So there is a strong demand for this vaccine from the medical community to combat life-threatening pneumococcal infections. Till now, they have only imported one to rely on, which is not always available and costs a lot. In this regard, Incepta came forward and manufactured the most-needed conjugate vaccine, the doctors added.

Farhana Lyzu, senior manager of marketing at Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd, told The Business Standard, "Children under two years of age should receive three doses of the Evimar-13 vaccine. In addition, people of all ages should receive a single dose of the vaccine. The price of this vaccine in the market of the country is Tk4,000."

Incepta had launched a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in the Bangladesh market last year as Prenovax 23, she said.

Prenovax 23 is for adults and children of 2 years or older. 

"So with the launch of Evimar-13, we get the complete package of the pneumonia vaccine. These two vaccines not only fill a crucial gap in their availability in Bangladesh but also represent a significant milestone in the country's healthcare. With this, we can ensure protection across a broad age range, from infants to adults and older, ensuring that individuals from various demographics can benefit from its preventive capabilities," she added.

According to the icddr,b data, pneumonia kills around 24,000 children in Bangladesh every year, accounting for 24% of all under-five deaths, surpassing the global average. This translates to 2-3 children dying from pneumonia every hour.