Study to Evaluate the Response Rate to the Licensed Pneumovax 23™ in Elderly Population.

Summary

Streptococcus pneumoniae are bacteria which normally live in the upper respiratory tract of humans. However, these bacteria can also cause severe infectious diseases such as pneumonia, septicemia and meningitis. Elderly subjects are especially vulnerable to these infections, and the diseases can result in death. The currently available licensed Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine is recommended for prevention of pneumococcal diseases in individuals over the age of 65. However, the antibody level elicited by this vaccine, is not always satisfactory in elderly people. To overcome the problem, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals is currently developing candidate vaccines that are hoped to work better than the currently available vaccines. As a first step in this development, the present study is being conducted in order to evaluate the immune response to the currently marketed vaccine.

Timeline

Start

2003-10

Primary completion

2005-02

Completion

2005-02

Drugs

Indications