FDA says Pfizer's bestselling Prevnar vaccine is comparable to Merck's vaccine in adults

WASHINGTON - Federal health scientists say Pfizer's bestselling vaccine Prevnar is at least as effective as a competing vaccine from Merck at helping prevent potentially deadly infections in adults Prevnar 13 is designed to reduce the risk of infection by pneumococcal disease, which causes ear infections, meningitis and pneumonia. The U.S. government recommends vaccination with Prevnar for all U.S. infants. But the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate the disease also affects older adults, killing 5,000 of them each year.