Meningitis Vaccine Could Save Thousands of Lives
Added On : 10th June 2011
Thousands of children's lives could be saved by a new meningitis vaccine that could be available by the end of the year, it has emerged.The new jab protects against meningitis B, the biggest killer strain of the disease for which there is currently no protection.
Trials of the new drug called 4CMenB have produced "exciting" results which showed a "robust immune response" in thousands of infants across Europe.
In all it protected against 80 per cent of the different variants of the disease. The charity Meningitis UK said the new vaccine has the potential to save thousands of lives in the future.
Steve Dayman, the chief executive, said the results were exciting.
"This data is a very positive step in the fight to eradicate meningitis B, which is the biggest killer of all types of meningitis in the UK.
"This vaccine is the first of its kind and has the potential to save thousands of lives."
Meningitis B, which can kill in under four hours, is the most deadly type in the UK, responsible for more than 1,200 cases a year and 120 deaths.
Around 250 other children are left with serious lifelong complications such as limb amputations, blindness, deafness and brain damage as a result of the disease.
There are already vaccines against some forms of meningitis, including Hib, meningitis C and pneumococcal meningitis.
The new vaccine developed by the drug giant Novartis is likely to add to these by Christmas, it was announced.
Results from 1,800 children found it worked well alone or with vaccines for other strains of the disease.
A further study on 1,500 toddlers found it offered protection when given as a booster jab, while another showed an immune response in adolescents.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is appraising the new jab before it is considered for use in the UK immunisation programme.
Mr Dayman said: "It is anticipated that the EMA licence decision will be made around Christmas this year.
"There are still a number of questions to be answered about the vaccine and we are extremely hopeful that the decision will be positive."
The data for the jab was presented at the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases in The Hague.
The vaccine was developed by a new technique of analysing the genetic make up of the disease and then finding drugs that would effect its DNA.
Dr Myron Christodoulides, chair of Meningitis UK's scientific medical advisory panel, said: "Novartis has taken us one step closer to the licensure of a vaccine with the potential to offer broad coverage against group B meningococcal disease.
"If this vaccine were to fulfil its potential to provide protection against 80 per cent of meningitis B strains causing disease in Europe, then it will significantly improve public health and save the lives of many from this devastating disease."
