- First vaccine expected to protect against five types of meningococcal disease – meningococcal A, C, W, Y and X
- Could be the first ever vaccine to protect against meningococcal X meningitis and septicaemia
Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) welcomes the news that a new vaccine that is currently in development could be the first to protect against meningococcal X meningitis and septicaemia.
There are already quadrivalent vaccines available which prevent four types of meningococcal disease (Men A, C, W and Y). An early trial of the new pentavalent MenACWYX vaccine showed that the vaccine triggered immune responses that are predicted to protect against five types of meningococcal disease, meningococcal A, C, W, Y and X. The results have been published in the Lancet Infectious Disease.
Further clinical testing is ongoing, and additional clinical trials are necessary to confirm how effective the vaccine is.
A commentary on the Lancet paper urges the global public health community to come together to develop a global action plan for defeating meningitis by 2030, in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, “To transform our world and leave no one behind” by 2030. The commentary referred to the high-level meeting report from MRF and Wilton Park which called for and enabled the development of this plan.
Linda Glennie, Director of Research at MRF, said, “Last year we brought together experts to determine how we should go forward to defeat meningitis. We identified key priorities, one of which was affordable vaccines for areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa where recurrent meningitis epidemics are a terrible burden for people and countries. This new pentavalent MenACWYX vaccine offers some hope towards this. A similar vaccine against MenA has nearly eliminated meningococcal A epidemics from Africa. However, other meningococcal serogroups such as W, X and C still cause epidemics so an affordable vaccine protecting against all major types of meningococcal meningitis is key.”