Wyeth may speed pneumococcal vaccine output

CHICAGO, June 25 (Reuters) - Drugmaker Wyeth WYE.N is in talks with U.S. health authorities to speed production of an improved vaccine to treat pneumococcal disease, which might help prevent pneumonia deaths in a second wave of the new H1N1 flu, a company executive said on Friday.

"Because of the (H1N1 pandemic) situation, we are talking with the CDC and thinking about how we can accelerate some of the plans we currently have," Dr. Peter Paradiso, vice president of scientific affairs at Wyeth, said in a telephone interview.

He said it is too early to say how many more doses the company could make, but "...we are working on it. We certainly have enough for routine transmission," which would protect about 4 million babies.

Paradiso is presenting data on the public health impact of the new vaccine called PCV13 or Prevnar 13 at a meeting in Atlanta of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or ACIP, which advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set to review the vaccine on Sept. 30. Wyeth is slated for takeover later this year by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)