New findings support potential meningitis vaccine

Positive progress has been announced in the development of a vaccine to eradicate deadly disease Meningitis B.  The latest data supporting pharmaceutical company Novartis’ potential vaccine for the killer strain was revealed at the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) in The Hague, Netherlands. It shows that the vaccine, called 4CMenB, guarded against 80 percent of the 1,000 strains collected from across Europe. The study showed the vaccine worked safely alongside other vaccines when tested on 1,800 infants across Europe. Another study involving 1,500 toddlers showed the vaccine provides protection when used as a booster. Meningitis B is the most common form of bacterial meningitis in the UK and is also one of the most deadly, in some cases killing in less than four hours. The 4CMenB vaccine is awaiting authorisation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) before it can be considered for introduction into the Routine Immunisation Programme in the UK. Successful...