The Multicomponent Meningococcal Serogroup B Vaccine (4CMenB): Origin, Composition, Health Impact and Unknown Aspects

Abstract

Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B is the main cause for meningococcal invasive disease in many parts of the world. Since 2013, a new multicomponent vaccine against meningococcal serogroup B (4CMenB) has been licensed in Europe, Australia, Canada, Chile, Uruguay, USA and Brazil with different immunization schedules. Clinical trials involving adults, adolescents, children and infants showed 4CMenB has a good immunogenicity and safety profile. Strain coverage estimates are similar to or better than other recently approved vaccines, ranging from 66% in Canada to 91% in Unites States. Some points still remain to be clarified such as the best immunization strategy, the effect of 4CMenB on carriage, the long-term persistence of protective bactericidal antibodies titers, long-term safety outcomes, the possible emergence of N. meningitidis escape mutants and the vaccine cost-effectiveness. In this review, we focus on the vaccine composition, clinical trials and suggested schedules, safety data, potential strain coverage and future challenges.

Economic evaluation of meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) vaccines: A systematic review

“…There has also been a rise in the incidence of MenB in the US, accounting for over 30% of IMD cases. [11] In January 2013, the first multicomponent MenB vaccine (4CMenB, Bexsero®) was licensed in Europe by the European Medicine Agency [7,12], and has since been introduced in other countries, including Australia, Chile, Canada, Uruguay, and Brazil [13]. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed another MenB vaccine (MenB-FHbp, Trumenba ®) in October 2014, primarily for adolescents and young adults aged 10-25 years.…”