Pneumococcal Vaccine Study
All infants in Australia routinely receive the pneumococcal vaccine at 2, 4, and 12 months through the National Immunisation Program. Some children at risk receive an additional dose at 6 months.
The pneumococcal vaccine protects against infections caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, including mild to invasive diseases like pneumonia, ear infections, blood infections, and meningitis in babies and children.
The current 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), Prevenar20, replaced the 13-valent PCV/Prevenar13 in the Australian Immunisation Program as of 1 September 2025. Prevenar20 provides coverage for 20 bacterial serotypes, but other serotypes which are not covered by the vaccine continue to cause disease in infants and children.
The Pneumo21 study is investigating a new, 21-valent pneumococcal vaccine designed to provide broader protection for 21 serotypes – 8 more serotypes than the Prevenar 13. Babies in this study receive either the 21-valent PCV, or the licensed 20-valent PCV.
In December 2024, the Vaccine Trials Group proudly enrolled the very first participant in this global study. Recruitment was initially anticipated to end in August 2025 but continued into November 2025 to reach the target number of 125 participants in Australia. The Vaccine Trials Group hit some exciting milestones - vaccinating the first baby in the study worldwide and we were the top recruiting site in Australia - with three sets of twins contributing to our numbers including the Redman twins pictured above!
As always, we are deeply grateful to the families who volunteer to participate with their babies and make our research possible.
Universal Meningococcal Vaccine Update
A life-saving meningococcal vaccine covering all five common strains of the deadly disease could soon be available thanks to our involvment in global research demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of a combination Men ABCWY vaccine.
This research, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and Clinical Infectious Diseases found the combination vaccine to be highly effective in providing universal protection for young adults and teenagers.
The new vaccine was recently approved by the FDA for use in the US for older children and young adults aged 10 through to 25 years, and we hope to see it licensed in Australia within the next five years. In the future, we would like to see this combination vaccine replace the current Men ACWY vaccine given to all teenagers in Year 10, and our research going forward will focus on studies demonstrating its safety and efficacy for babies and toddlers in the hopes of future inclusion on the NIP from 12 months of age.
A big thank you goes out to the teenagers and young adults who took part in the QUINTET and BOOST Studies - your involvement has helped acheive these outstanding results!
Read more about the universal vaccine online here.