Sanofi gets European nod for MenQuadfi for immunization against meningococcal disease
Paris: Pharma major, Sanofi, has recently announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved MenQuadfi for active immunization of individuals from the age of 12 months and older against invasive meningococcal disease.
The disease is caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, W and Y.
"Meningococcal meningitis can take one's life in as little as one day and leave survivors with severe permanent disabilities. In Europe, there were more than 3,000 cases of Invasive Meningococcal Disease in 2018, half of them caused by serogroups C, W and Y," says Thomas Triomphe, Head of Sanofi Pasteur. "One case is one too many. It is our ambition to make this vaccine available worldwide to further expand protection to as many people as possible. The European Commission's approval of MenQuadfi takes us one step closer to achieving this goal."
The European Commission's decision is based upon results from a robust and comprehensive international clinical program, including seven pivotal Phase 2 and 3 randomized, active-controlled, multi-center studies. The immunogenicity and safety of MenQuadfi were evaluated in over 6,300 healthy individuals aged 12 months and older, who received a single dose of MenQuadfi.
MenQuadfi was compared with other licensed combination vaccines across all age groups. It demonstrated a good safety profile and induced a high immune response against all four serogroups (A, C, W and Y) consistently across all studies.
"The introduction of a new vaccine against four of the major serogroups of meningococcal disease is very welcome news. The disease is unpredictable and remains the biggest cause of sepsis and septic shock in children across Europe today,12" says Professor Federico Martinón-Torres, Pediatrician and Clinical Researcher, Head of Pediatrics and Vaccine Research Unit at Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago in Spain. "Meningococcal disease is vaccine-preventable but, in spite of its threat, there is currently no common immunization schedule for it in Europe. The approval of MenQuadfi in Europe will contribute to our efforts to protect against, and help defeat, this truly devastating disease."
In order to better address the global need for meningococcal disease prevention over the life course, Phase 3 studies are ongoing to investigate the vaccine in infants from 6 weeks of age.
Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) epidemiology is highly unpredictable and varies widely across geographies and over time. In Europe, with the increase in incidence of IMD caused by hypervirulent serogroup W, several countries have introduced MenACWY conjugate vaccination into their routine vaccination schedules. However, considerable variation remains between European countries, leaving room for outbreaks in unprotected and vulnerable populations.
In 2018, 3,233 individuals contracted invasive meningococcal disease in Europe, and approximately 1 in 10 did not survive. Of the total number of cases, 2,911 were reported to be serogroups B, C, W or Y, of which almost half (47%) were serogroup C, W or Y. Rates were highest in infants, followed by children under 5 years, with a second peak in those aged 15–24 years.
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