Brazil launches new Pneumo 20 pneumonia vaccine through SUS

Brazil's Ministry of Health has begun distributing the Pneumo 20 vaccine, the latest pneumococcal immunization to enter the public health system (SUS). The first shipment of 8,300 doses will arrive in Mato Grosso do Sul on Tuesday, part of an initial national batch of 514,000 doses that the ministry expects to expand to 6.1 million by year‑end.

Pneumo 20 protects against 20 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae, targeting children under five, Indigenous peoples over five without prior vaccination, adults 60 years or older who are bedridden or institutionalized, and patients with special clinical conditions. The rollout will follow a schedule of a dose at two months, a Pneumo 10 dose at four months and a booster of Pneumo 20 at twelve months, gradually replacing the older Pneumo 10 and Pneumo 13 vaccines. Health minister Alexandre Padilha noted that distribution to states and municipalities has started and that vaccination in primary care units is expected by mid‑June. In the private market the vaccine costs around R$500 per dose, but incorporation into SUS makes it free for the prioritized groups.