Meningococcal Quadrivalent (Serogroups A, C, W135 and Y) Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine (Nimenrix™)

Nimenrix (TM) (MenACWY-TT) is a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine, comprising the polysaccharide serogroups A, C, W135 and Y, and tetanus toxoid (TT) as carrier protein. It is the first quadrivalent vaccine (administered as a single dose) to be approved in Europe for active immunization of individuals aged >= 12 months against invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, W135 and Y. Administration of a single dose of Nimenrix (TM) elicited a strong immune response against all four vaccine serogroups in healthy toddlers aged 12-23 months, children and adolescents aged 2-17 years and adults aged 18-55 years in randomized, multicentre, phase III trials. In toddlers, Nimenrix (TM) was noninferior to Meningitec (R) in terms of seroresponse rates against meningococcal serogroup C 42 days post-vaccination. In children, adolescents and adults, Nimenrix (TM) was noninferior to Mencevax (TM) in terms of vaccination response rates against all four serogroups 1 month post-vaccination. Furthermore, several phase II studies and a phase III trial showed that the immune response elicited by Nimenrix (TM) in all age groups persisted for 7-42 months after the primary vaccination (when evaluated by rabbit serum bactericidal activity), with the vaccine also inducing immune memory in toddlers. In addition, several randomized, multicentre, phase III, noninferiority trials showed that when coadministered with other childhood vaccines or a seasonal flu vaccine, the immunogenicity of Nimenrix (TM) or that of the coadministered vaccine was generally not altered. Nimenrix (R) was generally well tolerated in all age groups whether administered as a single vaccine or coadministered with other routine vaccines. The incidence of grade 3 local or systemic solicited adverse events during the first 4 days following vaccination and of serious adverse events over an extended follow-up period of up to 6 months was low (<4.5%). Although protective effectiveness and longer-term persistence studies are required, current evidence suggests that Nimenrix (TM), administered as a single dose, provides a valuable vaccination option for the prevention of meningococcal disease across a broad age group, including children as young as 12 months.