BRIEF—Vaxneuvance for children approved in UK

Merck & Co’s 15-strain Streptococcus vaccine, Vaxneuvance, has won UK approval for use in infants as young as six months, adding to the existing nod for adults.

The product was first approved for adults in the USA in July 2021, around six months before the European Medicines Agency gave its blessing.

The data supporting the latest approval include findings from the pivotal PNEU-PED-EU-1 study, which showed that immune responses were noninferior to the 13-strain vaccine.

Dilruwan Herath, the company’s medical affairs director for UK & Ireland said: “Infants less than one year of age typically experience the highest rates of disease, therefore this approval provides an important new option to protect and reassure families across the UK.”