HWN Suggests

A new vaccine could bring an end to meningitis epidemics in Africa

MenFive® is the exception. It protects against meningitis groups A, C, W, Y, and X will be much more affordable than existing licensed meningococcal vaccines - following in the legacy of MenAfriVac®, MenFive® will be available at a price African nations can afford. Beyond cost, MenFive® also shows enhanced temperature stability, which means it will be able to be delivered outside of the cold chain for extended periods and can reach remote communities that would otherwise be left out of vaccination efforts. In addition, it’s provided in convenient 5-dose vials. By increasing the number of people who are vaccinated against the disease, especially in areas that have limited access to health services,…

read full article

Featured

 Navigating the Changing Meningitis Vaccine Landscape: Dosing Guidance and New Developments

The Pentavalent Vaccine: MenABCWY This innovative vaccine provides protection against all five major serogroups (A, C, W, Y, and B), offering a comprehensive defense against a broad spectrum of meningococcal strains. The pentavalent MenABCWY vaccine simplifies the vaccination process by combining multiple components into a single shot, making getting protected easier and more convenient. The CDC recommends MenABCWY vaccination as an option for individuals 10 years or older who are getting MenACWY and MenB vaccines at the same visit. We encourage you to speak with your provider about your options.

Articles of Interest

5-in-1 Meningococcal ABCWY Vaccine Candidate Receives FDA Approval for Meningococcal Disease

GSK’s 5-in-1 meningococcal ABCWY (MenABCWY, Penmenvy; GSK) vaccine has received FDA approval for use in individuals aged 10 through 25 years, indicated to target 5 groups of the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis (Men A, B, C, W, and Y) that account for most invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases globally.

A new vaccine could stop meningitis epidemics in Africa—for good

“[MenFive] promises to be a gamechanger in the fight against meningitis.” — Dr. Ama Umesi, MRC Unit The Gambia.

A new vaccine will change the balance of the fight against meningitis

The vaccine Men5CV has the potential to drastically change the landscape of the fight against meningitis in what is one of the poorer and under-resourced parts of the world, and it feeds the hope that this debilitating disease can one day—soon—be done away with. Effective delivery and distribution of the vaccine will be instrumental in eliminating epidemic bacterial meningitis by 2030.

FDA approves GSK’s Penmenvy vaccine for meningococcal disease in adolescents and young adults

The vaccine combines GSK’s Bexsero and Menveo components, targeting MenB and MenACWY, to offer broader protection in fewer doses

Five things you need to know about the world’s latest weapon against bacterial meningitis

The Men5CV (MenFive) pentavalent meningitis vaccine could help eliminate a leading cause of neurological disease and disability in sub-Saharan Africa.

Meningitis shot that fights 5 different strains shows promise in latest trial

The vaccine could be a useful tool in countering meningitis in children and young adults. Developing affordable vaccines that provide broad coverage against meningococcal disease strains is a key part of the World Health Organization’s Defeating Meningitis by 2030 Global Roadmap.

Meningococcal Vaccine Found to be Safe and Effective for Infants in Sub-Saharan Africa

“The development of affordable, effective vaccines that are designed for use in Africa have been a game-changer for meningitis belt countries and are instrumental for global efforts to defeat meningitis by 2030,” said Bill Hausdorff, PhD, director of PATH’s meningitis vaccine development projects. “PATH is proud to have contributed to this essential study that helped lower the age limit for Men5CV and enable its inclusion in routine immunization programs—ensuring widespread protection from meningococcal disease is possible and epidemics become a thing of the past.”

Nigeria is pioneering a new vaccine to fight meningitis - why this matters

By containing the five most important serotypes causing meningitis in Nigeria, this vaccine is bound to have a far reaching positive impact on control of the disease. Among all the 26 African countries within the African meningitis belt, Nigeria is by far the most populous. Thus an epidemic of the disease affects many people. Before the year 2000 hardly a case of serotype C, W, X, or Y had been reported in Nigeria. The success of group A conjugate MenAfriVac introduced in 2010 in Burkina Faso has changed the pattern and periodicity of epidemic meningitis, and the real challenge and menace of replacement serotypes underscores the critical importance of the 5-in-1 conjugate meningitis vaccine. Its impact will be huge.

Pentavalent Meningitis Vaccine Reduces Africa's Meningitis Belt

Men5CV pentavalent meningitis vaccine is eliminating a leading cause of neurological disease and disability in Africa.

Public health perspective of a pentavalent meningococcal vaccine combining antigens of MenACWY-CRM and 4CMenB

Several types of meningococcal vaccine are approved, recommended and widely available. They have demonstrated effectiveness in preventing IMD in infants, adolescents and young adults. Initial meningococcal vaccines were monovalent and covered one serogroup (i.e. A or C), but quadrivalent meningococcal vaccines, such as MenACWY-CRM, have been used for more than a decade and are effective in helping reduce and control the incidence of IMD caused by the serogroups covered, and in helping to reduce meningococcal carriage. Currently, protection against the most frequent serogroups requires the administration of two vaccines (MenB and MenACWY), and this is reflected in the most comprehensive meningococcal vaccination programmes that cover MenACWY and MenB separately. The requirement for separate vaccine administration on two schedules has led to suboptimal vaccination coverage.

Rationale for the Development of a Pentavalent Meningococcal Vaccine: A US-Focused Review

This review considers the universal need for a pentavalent meningococcal vaccine covering serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y (MenABCWY), and focuses on data and recommendations from the United States for adolescents and infants, as well as on the epidemiology and high burden of meningococcal disease in these age groups.

‘A gamechanger’: new meningitis vaccine hailed as major step

Successful trials in Africa of NmCV-5 vaccine open the door to affordable treatment for disease that kills 250,000 people a year

Resources

Penbraya

Provides the broadest serogroup coverage (meningococcal groups A, B, C, W and Y) of any meningococcal vaccine available in the U.S. and has the potential to help simplify complex vaccination schedule in the U.S.

Penbraya™ Vaccination Schedule

In October of 2023, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved Penbraya™, a pentavalent meningococcal vaccine targeted at five serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis (A, B, C, W, and Y). Penbraya™ is approved for patients ages 10 – 25 years of age and is the first meningococcal vaccine to cover five serogroups. The recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is that Penbraya™ may be administered when both MenACWY and MenB vaccines are indicated at the same visit. It should be noted that when Penbraya™ is used, Trumenba® should be used as the second dose of MenB; Trumenba® and Bexsero® are not interchangeable. The advantage of PENBRAYA® is that one fewer doses are needed to achieve complete vaccination for meningococcal disease.

Penmenvy — A Second Pentavalent Meningococcal Vaccine

Penmenvy is the second pentavalent meningococcal vaccine containing Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y (MenABCWY) to be licensed by the FDA. How it compares to Penbraya in efficacy and safety remains to be determined. Use of Penmenvy or Penbraya reduces the total number of injections required for full vaccination against these five serogroups, which may improve compliance. Pentavalent vaccines are recommended only for persons ≥10 years old who would otherwise receive both a MenACWY and a MenB vaccine at the same visit.

MenFive

MenFive® is indicated for active immunization of individuals aged 9 months to 85 years against invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis groups A, C, Y, W, and X.