MenB is the predominant strain in many regions of the world today. To date, there is no truly global vaccine available to prevent related meningococcal B infections.
MenB accounts for 30 to 80 percent of cases in Europe¹.

In all countries, the incidence of MenB is particularly high among babies less than one year of age¹.

Annual global incidence is estimated between 20,000 and 80,000 cases per year, with 2,000 to 8,000 deaths per year.

MenB epidemics begin slowly, but may persist for 10 years or longer, whereas MenA and MenC epidemics typically last one to three years¹. There is currently a MenB epidemic in New Zealand.

To date, a broad-coverage MenB vaccine has been elusive for two main reasons:

• Unlike other serogroups, MenB polysaccharide produces only a poor response from the immune system
• Some MenB antigens are similar to glycoproteins found in humans, prompting concerns about autoimmunity (the body attacks itself)

In 2006, Novartis concluded a successful two-year nationwide vaccination campaign in New Zealand with a MenB vaccine developed specifically for the strain of bacteria responsible for a 10-year epidemic in that country.

Novartis Vaccines is applying their technical expertise to develop safe and effective meningococcal vaccines to overcome these obstacles and pioneer a recombinant vaccine against MenB.

In a technique known as “reverse vaccinology,” potential vaccine candidates were created by analyzing the entire genome sequence of a highly powerful MenB strain. Through genetic engineering and from the investigation of 600 potential proteins, Novartis scientists identified 28 candidates against a wide range of strains, representative of global diversity.

Building on this genomics approach, Novartis is developing a recombinant protein vaccine to offer protection against strains of MenB. Phase II trials in adults have demonstrated satisfactory safety, tolerability and immunogenicity.

Preliminary data analysis of on-going phase II trials in infants seems to confirm the excellent results observed in adults.

The Novartis MenB vaccine is the first recombinant protein vaccine for the prevention of invasive meningococcal B disease to induce an immune response in humans with good safety and tolerability profile.

¹  World Health Organization. Initiative for Vaccine Research, Bacterial Infections. Neisseria meningitidis.

Learn more about the initiative on the World Health Organization Website

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