To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Menjugate Meningitis Vaccine Approved In UK and Ireland For Infants Older Than Two Months URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1E4A1A.htm Doctor's Guide October 17, 2000
EMERYVILLE, CA -- October 17, 2000 -- Chiron Corporation announced that the UK's Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and the Irish Medicines Board have approved its meningococcal C conjugate vaccine Menjugate™ for use immunizing infants aged two months and older against meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C. This approval extends the indication for Menjugate to now include active immunization of children from two months of age and up. Menjugate was previously approved for children older than 12 months, adolescent and adults in the UK in March 2000 and in Ireland in August 2000. The vaccine will be supplied to health authorities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, which will subsequently distribute the vaccine to general practitioners and vaccination centers in order to immunize infants, children and adolescents as part of the UK and Ireland's extensive immunization program. The UK initiated a vaccination program November 1, 1999, and, according to the Department of Health, the program has reduced the number of meningococcal C cases in immunized groups by 70 percent. The Republic of Ireland launched its vaccination campaign on October 3, 2000. With full approval for use in infants through adults, Chiron will begin seeking mutual recognition approval for Menjugate in additional European countries. Meningococcal disease is a serious infant disease that affects infants under one-year of age due to the dangerous interval between the decline of the maternal protective antibodies and generation of the infant's own active immunity. Meningococcal serogroup C has been responsible for a significant percent of meningococcal meningitis cases in the UK and Ireland. In published studies analyzing the effective response of infants and children, Menjugate was shown to be well tolerated, capable of stimulating a robust immune response and producing a sustained protective effect against the bacterium after vaccination. Menjugate is manufactured by Chiron. Under a previously announced agreement, Aventis Pasteur MSD will co-promote Menjugate in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Related Link: Chiron Corporation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.