India-developed meningococcal meningitis vaccine bags WHO prequalification

The World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified the meningococcal meningitis vaccine developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and PATH, a global non-profit.

The first conjugate vaccine against meningococcal meningitis named MenFive, the vaccine is a result of a 13-year collaboration between the SII and PATH, and is designed to protect against five primary causes of meningococcal meningitis in Africa. Funding for its development came from the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Prequalification by the WHO implies that the vaccine complies with high standards of quality, safety, and efficacy and allows MenFive to be procured by United Nations agencies as well as Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.