TRUMENBA™ is the only vaccine indicated for adolescents and young adults aged 18 to 25 to prevent meningitis B
KIRKLAND, QC, March 6, 2018 /CNW/ - Pfizer Canada Inc. has announced the availability of TRUMENBA (meningococcal group B vaccine) in Canada, following approval by Health Canada in October 2017. TRUMENBA is a vaccine indicated to help prevent invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B bacteria, for individuals 10 through 25 years of age.1
Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a rare but potentially devastating disease. It is characterized by rapid onset and can be fatal in up to 10% of infected people in as little as 24 hours following the first symptoms.2,3 In recent years, serogroup B invasive meningococcal disease (often referred to as "meningitis B") accounted for 50 to 62% of reported cases of IMD in Canada.4 Approximately one in five survivors of meningitis B suffer from potentially life-altering consequences such as hearing loss, skin scarring, amputation, renal dysfunction and seizures.5
"After children aged four years and under, adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 years have the highest rates of IMD caused by serogroup B in Canada. The bacteria can be transmitted via close contact found in crowded environments such as dorm living, and through typical adolescent and young adult behaviours including sharing drinks and utensils as well as kissing. Prevention is key," says Dr. John Yaremko, Pediatrician and Assistant Professor, McGill University. "We hope the approval of TRUMENBA will help protect more individuals against this potentially devastating disease."
"Parents should never have to deal with this disease and the possibility of the death of their child, but that is unfortunately what meningitis B can do to a family," says Kathryn Blain, Founder, Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada. "I urge parents and young adults to speak to their healthcare provider about prevention through vaccination."
About Pfizer Canada Inc.
Pfizer Canada Inc. is the Canadian operation of Pfizer Inc., one of the world's leading biopharmaceutical companies. Our diversified health care portfolio includes some of the world's best-known and most prescribed medicines and vaccines. Historically, Pfizer Inc. has invested more than US $7 billion toward developing safe and effective medicines. At Pfizer, we're working together for a healthier world. To learn more about Pfizer Canada, visit pfizer.ca or you can follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/PfizerCA) or Facebook (facebook.com/PfizerCanada).
About TRUMENBA™ (meningococcal group B vaccine)
TRUMENBA™ is a vaccine to help prevent serogroup B invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in individuals 10 through 25 years of age.1 It was designed to provide broad protection against serogroup B IMD by targeting both subfamilies of a protein (fHBP) found on 95% of disease-causing bacteria.1 TRUMENBA is the only meningococcal B vaccine indicated for individuals 18 through 25 years old.
Licensure of TRUMENBA was based on demonstration of functional immune responses, measured using a serum bactericidal assay with human complement (hSBA).1
TRUMENBA received Health Canada approval on October 5, 2017. To date, Pfizer Inc. has distributed over 1 million doses of the vaccine worldwide.
As with any vaccine, TRUMENBA may not prevent disease in all vaccinated individuals.1 Like all vaccines, TRUMENBA can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. The most common side effects (reported in more than 1 in 10 people) after having TRUMENBA include headache, nausea, diarrhea, muscle pain, joint pain, redness, swelling and pain at the injection site, chills and fatigue (tiredness).
For more information, including information on prescribing and safety, please consult the Product Monograph or call Pfizer Medical Information at 1-800-463-6001.
| References: |
|
| 1 TRUMENBA™ Product Monograph. January 4, 2018. |
|
| 2 Government of Canada. Invasive Meningococcal Disease. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/vaccine-preventable-diseases/invasive-meningococcal-disease/health-professionals.html. Last accessed February 2018. |
|
| 3 World Health Organization. Meningococcal meningitis. Fact sheet 141. Available at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs141/en/. Last accessed February 2018. |
|
| 4 Government of Canada. Advice for the Use of the Multicomponent Meningococcal Serogroup B Vaccine. Available at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/meningococcal-serogroup-b-vaccine-advice.html. Last accessed February 2018. |
|
| 5 Sadarangani M et al. "Outcomes of invasive meningococcal disease in adults and children in Canada between 2002 and 2011: a prospective cohort study" Clin Infect Dis. 2015 Apr 15;60(8):e27-35. doi: 10.1093/cid/civ028. Epub 2015 Jan 20. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25605282. Last accessed February 2018. |
SOURCE Pfizer Canada Inc.
Manon Genin, Pfizer Canada Inc., 1-866-9PFIZER (973-4937), [email protected]
Share this article