Novartis gets Menveo vaccine approval

The FDA has approved Novartis' Menveo vaccine for use in 11-55 year olds to help protect against meningitis and sepsis caused by four common vaccine-preventable serogroups. That approval could help Novartis rake in up to $650 million a year.

"Even with early and appropriate treatment, patients can die from meningococcal disease, often within 24-48 hours of onset of symptoms. Menveo achieved a higher immune response than the other currently available vaccine, which is very reassuring," Keith Reisinger, MD, medical director at Primary Physicians Research, says in a statement.

Menveo was originally slated for approval in 2009, but the FDA asked Novartis for more information on the meningitis vaccine's production. Fortunately for Novartis, it did not need to conduct more clinical trials. The company hopes to further expand the vaccine's indication to infants and children aged between 2 and 10 years.

- here's Novartis' release
- see the Reuters report for more

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