PCV13/PPSV23 Co-vaccination versus PPSV23 Monotherapy for the Prevention of Pneumococcal Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPSV23) and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate (PCV13) vaccines are available for the prevention of infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of PPSV23 and PCV13 co-vaccination (PCV13/PPSV23) compared with PPSV23 monotherapy in adult populations. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing PCV13/PPSV23 co-vaccination with PPSV23 monotherapy published until September 15, 2023. Immunogenicity was assessed using the geometric mean titer ratio (GMTR) of opsonophagocytic activity (OPA), which reflects bactericidal activity against each serotype. The safety outcomes included local and systemic adverse events. The risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the inverse variance-weighted method. The meta-analysis included 4 RCTs involving 2739 participants. The OPA GMTRs for 11 of the 13 evaluated serotypes were significantly higher in the PCV13/PPSV23 group than those in the PPSV23 group. The safety analysis showed no statistically significant differences in the incidence of adverse events between the 2 groups across all assessed outcomes. PCV13/PPSV23 showed significantly higher immunogenicity against the pneumococcal serotypes and maintained a safety profile comparable to that of PPSV23. These results support the potential utility of PCV13/PPSV23 as an effective strategy for preventing pneumococcal diseases in older adults.