Novartis Meningitis Vaccine Shows Response

New Phase III data for Novartis’ Menveo show that the vaccine produced a greater immune response against meningococcal serogroups A, C, W-135 and Y in adolescents 11-18 years of age compared to Sanofi Pasteur’s Menactra. Infection with any of these four vaccine-preventable serogroups can lead to bacterial meningitis, an infection of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord, or sepsis, a serious infection of the blood stream. Menveo is an investigational quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine being developed by Novartis Vaccines.
   
Results of this comparator trial show that adolescents who were immunized with Menveo generated higher levels of antibodies against all four serogroups compared to Menactra. Notably for serogroup Y, among adolescents with low levels of immunity at the time of vaccination, 81% of subjects receiving Menveo generated a protective immune response vs. 54% with Menactra. Serogroup Y causes approximately 39% of meningococcal disease cases in the U.S.
   
Meningococcal disease, a leading cause of bacterial meningitis, is a rare but contagious and potentially life-threatening infection. The US CDC recommends routine immunization with a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine for all adolescents 11-18 years of age, college freshmen living in dorms and people in other high risk groups who are two to ten or 19-55 years of age.