Introduction: Diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae are a major public health problem worldwide, which can be effectively prevented by the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines (PPV23).Areas covered: The Beijing Minhai PPV23 showed good safety and immunogenicity profiles in clinical trials. The immunogenicity of Beijing Minhai PPV23 was non-inferior to other licensed PPVs. Although PPV23 has been proved to be highly efficient and cost-effective, and was recommended for vaccination in high-risk populations in industrialized countries, the coverage of PPV23 vaccination was relatively low in developing countries.Expert commentary: The low vaccination proportions of PPV23 in China have not been improved in recent decades. Most of the populations with indications for receiving PPV23 were not aware of the possible benefits of PPV23. Moreover, PPV23 had some limitations, which called for the development of a new generation of vaccines against pneumococcal infection.
Keywords: 23-Valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine; clinical trial; immunogenicity; pneumococcal vaccine; safety.