Multivalent Meningococcal Meningitis Vaccine Achieves WHO Prequalification

MenFive®, the first conjugate vaccine to protect against the five predominant causes of meningococcal meningitis in Africa, has been prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Developed through a 13-year collaboration between Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (SIIPL) and PATH, MenFive® protects against meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, Y, and X and is designed to eliminate annual meningitis outbreaks and epidemics in the African meningitis belt.

It is also the only vaccine preventing meningitis caused by meningococcal group X, a pathogen increasingly implicated in African meningitis outbreaks.

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, said in a media release on July 12, 2023, "As the first conjugate vaccine to safeguard against the five predominant causes of this deadly disease, MenFive® offers hope for a future free from annual outbreaks and epidemics in the African meningitis belt."

WHO prequalification ensures a vaccine meets strict international quality, safety, and efficacy standards, was supported by extensive clinical studies in The Gambia, India, and Mali that demonstrated a high level of safety and immunogenicity.

Importantly, prequalification allows MenFive® to be procured by United Nations agencies and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.

Meningitis is the inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is usually caused by infection. 

Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial infection that sets in rapidly and can kill within hours. It can cause severe brain damage and sepsis, leading to limb amputation, and is fatal if untreated in 50% of cases, says the WHO.

Anyone can contract meningococcal meningitis, but children under age five—especially infants—are likely to suffer the most severe effects.

In the United States, two types of meningococcal vaccines are licensed by the Food and Drug Administration: Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) vaccines and Serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccines.