Last week, Pfizer announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its new meningococcal vaccine that covers five serogroups, folding protection against the B group in with coverage against groups A,C, W, and Y.
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And yesterday, vaccine advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that the new vaccine, called Penbraya, can be used when both the four-group (MenACWY) and the monovalent B group (MenB) vaccines are indicated at the same visit for healthy patients ages 16 to 23 and patients ages 10 and older who have certain underlying health conditions.
The approval passed by a 10-to-4 vote. Some members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) were hesitant about the wording of the proposal, due to a desire for a broader recommendation, with some suggesting that the shared decision-making wording isn’t clear.
They also worried about the complexity of managing meningococcal disease vaccination, with doctors juggling another a new type of vaccine alongside two four-group vaccines, which are interchangeable, and two group-B vaccines, which aren’t interchangeable. Other members emphasized that ACIP will continue to look at strategies for boosting uptake of vaccines against the rare but severe disease.
Pfizer in a statement last week said Penbraya, given as two doses 6 months apart, has the potential to protect more adolescents and young adults from a potentially severe disease by providing the broadest coverage with fewer vaccine doses.
The CDC’s director will make a final decision on ACIP’s recommendation.