Britain Becomes First Nation to Offer Meningitis B Vaccine After Tense Novartis AG Stand-Off

March 30, 2015
By Riley McDermid, BioSpace.com Breaking News Sr. Editor

The United Kingdom will officially become the first country in the world to offer a vaccine for meningitis B after to infants covered under its national health system, after reaching a hard-fought deal with GlaxoSmithKline , said health officials Monday.

Britain will now be able to offer Glaxo’s Bexsero vaccine, formerly part of Novartis AG ’ vaccine portfolio under its massive asset swap earlier this year. Neither part disclosed the cost of the program, but Nikki Yates, general manager of GSK in Britain, said it offered “fair value” to British health regulators.

Under the terms of the new program, children will start receiving Bexsero when they are two months old, followed by two additional “booster” doses. Meningitis causes severe neck pain after a bacterial infection of the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord begins affecting the immune system.

Because it primarily affects children and teenagers and can often be incurable once it advances, the news is being greeted warmly by health advocates and British health authorities. Treating just one severe case of the disease can cost regulators more than $4.5 million, estimated Reuters.

U.K. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Sunday he was “exceptionally pleased that we will be the first country on the planet to have a nationwide Men B vaccination program.”

“We had a stand-off really for the best part of a year with the company that used to own this vaccine but since GSK have come on board they have reduced the price and that means we can now go ahead this year with rolling out the meningitis B vaccine," Hunt said.

Yates said that Glaxo was "delighted" to have reached an agreement, particularly since the company has only owned Bexsero for three weeks.