SII’s meningococcal meningitis vaccine 'MenFive' gets WHO prequalification

MenFive vaccine, the first conjugate vaccine against meningococcal meningitis, was developed by the Serum Institute of India in a remarkable 13-year partnership with PATH, a global non-profit organization.

New Delhi: Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) on Wednesday said its vaccine to protect against the five predominant causes of meningococcal meningitis in Africa has been prequalified by the World Health Organisation.

MenFive vaccine, the first conjugate vaccine against meningococcal meningitis, was developed by the Serum Institute of India in a remarkable 13-year partnership with PATH, a global non-profit organization. MenFive is specifically designed to combat the five primary causes of this deadly disease in Africa. The development of this life-saving vaccine was made possible through crucial funding from the UK government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Meningococcal meningitis is an aggressive bacterial infection that can rapidly progress and prove fatal within hours. It poses severe risks of brain damage, sepsis, and limb amputation, with an alarming fatality rate of 50% if left untreated. While meningococcal meningitis can affect anyone, children under the age of five, especially infants, are particularly vulnerable to its devastating effects.

The WHO prequalification signifies that MenFive adheres to rigorous international standards of quality, safety, and efficacy. This achievement allows MenFive to be procured by United Nations agencies and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. Extensive clinical studies conducted in The Gambia, India, and Mali provided substantial support for the prequalification process.

Traditionally, African meningitis epidemics have been addressed with polysaccharide vaccines. However, these vaccines only offer short-term protection, fail to promote herd immunity, and do not effectively safeguard infants and children under two years old. In contrast, MenFive, a conjugate vaccine, provides superior and longer-lasting protection against meningococcal disease, as emphasized by the Serum Institute of India.

MenFive offers comprehensive protection against meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, Y, and X, aiming to eradicate the annual outbreaks and epidemics that plague the African meningitis belt, spanning 26 countries from Senegal and The Gambia to Ethiopia. Remarkably, MenFive is the sole vaccine capable of preventing meningitis caused by the increasingly prevalent meningococcal group X, a pathogen responsible for outbreaks on the African continent.

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, hailed MenFive as a "game-changer" and expressed hope for a future free from annual outbreaks and epidemics in the African meningitis belt, ultimately saving countless lives.

While multivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines protecting against serogroups A, C, W, and Y have been globally available for years, they have remained financially out of reach for countries in the meningitis belt. Consequently, approximately 450 million individuals in these regions remain at risk of death or severe disability due to meningococcal disease.