GSK’s 5-in-1 meningococcal vaccine Penmenvy receives positive recommendation from US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

GSK plc announced that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has voted to recommend use of Penmenvy (Meningococcal Groups A, B, C, W, and Y Vaccine) as part of the adolescent meningococcal vaccination schedule. Recommendations made by the ACIP are reviewed and, if adopted, are published as official CDC recommendations.

ACIP voted to recommend that persons over 10 years old receive a single dose of Penmenvy as an alternative to separate administration of meningococcal serogroups A, C, W and Y (MenACWY) and meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) vaccinations when both vaccines would be given on the same clinic visit, typically at age 16. This recommendation, if adopted, will allow for vaccination against serogroups A, B, C, W and Y in fewer doses, could simplify meningococcal vaccination delivery and could improve immunisation rates, helping protect more US adolescents against these five disease-causing serogroups for which the US CDC has previously issued recommendations.

Tony Wood, Chief Scientific Officer at GSK, said: “We welcome this positive recommendation that can help  strengthen disease prevention efforts in the US. Pentavalent vaccines can reduce the number of injections required to help protect against invasive meningococcal disease – especially disease caused by serogroup B. Their use could improve immunisation rates among adolescents and young adults in the US, who are at an age with increased risk.”

Although MenB is the leading cause of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) among this population, less than 13% of 17-year-olds received the recommended two-dose vaccination series; around 32% received at least one dose according to 2023 CDC survey data. Three of every four MenB doses currently administered in the US are manufactured by GSK, positioning the company well to lead in the US market as MenB-containing vaccination schedules must be completed with the same manufacturer’s MenB vaccine.