Novartis meningitis vaccine ‘may also protect infants’

Novartis has announced the publication of phase II data showing that its investigational meningitis B vaccine may also protect infants aged over six months.

It said its novel vaccine produced a protective immune response against a wide range of meningococcal B strains that are representative in over 95 per cent of infants tested.

The company claimed its vaccine could fill a significant unmet need for a broadly protective vaccine for children aged two months and older.

Novartis noted that menigococcal B strains cause 72 per cent of all meningococcal disease in Europe and 28 per cent in the US, with toddlers and infants most at risk.

Matthew Snape, consultant in vaccinology of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, said: “These are encouraging new findings that indicate the Novartis MenB vaccine may also offer infants six months and older robust protection against multiple strains of meningococcal B bacteria.”

He added that the provision of this protection is a global health priority.

In May 2008, Novartis presented the results of a phase II study showing between 85 and 96 per cent of infants over the age of two months developed immunity to the infection within months of administration of MenB, with this figure rising to 93 to 100 per cent following a fourth dose at 12 months.