Menactra Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine

Product Description

Meningococcal vaccine is a vaccine used against Neisseria meningitidis, a bacterium that causes meningitis, meningococcemia, septicemia, and rarely carditis, septic arthritis, or pneumonia. Mencevax (GlaxoSmithKline) and NmVac4-A/C/Y/W-135 (JN-International Medical Corporation) are used worldwide, but have not been licensed in the United States.

The first meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4), Menactra, was licensed in the U.S. in 2005 by Sanofi Pasteur; Menveo, was licensed in 2010 by Novartis. Both MCV4 vaccines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for people 2 through 55 years of age. In April 2011, Menactra received FDA approval for use in children as young as 9 months, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not made recommendations for or against its use in children less than 2 years.