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Combined vaccine protective against N. meningitidis in young children
Bryant K. Pediatrics. 2011;127:e1375-e1385.
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Ninety-eight percent of infants who received a combination Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis vaccine during their first year showed protective antibodies, according to a study published online this month.
Kristina A. Bryant, MD, of the University of Louisville, and colleagues looked at the combination vaccine, HibMenCY, in 4,180 infants in a cohort of children enrolled from Australia, Mexico and the United States. The researchers said “although meningococcal disease incidence is highest in children younger than age 2, there is no US-licensed vaccine for this age group.”
Researchers from the phase 3 study assigned infants to the combination vaccine or the currently licensed Hib vaccine (ActHIB, Sanofi-Pasteur) at 2, 4 and 6 months and the conjugated Hib vaccine, PedvaxHIB (Merck), at 12 to 15 months.
The researchers said after the fourth dose of the HibMenCY vaccine, more than 98% of recipients had antibodies against N. meningitidis serogroups C and Y, and Hib antibody response rates were similar in both groups.
“The HibMenCY was immunogenic against MenC and MenY and induced anti-polyribosylribitol phosphate antibody levels noninferior to those of licensed Hib conjugate vaccine,” the researchers wrote. “HibMenCY has the potential to provide protection against serogroup-specific meningococcal disease without increasing shot burden in the infant immunization schedule.”
Disclosure: The researchers reported that GlaxoSmithKline funded the study and was involved in all stages of the study.
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