Premium meningitis vaccine Bexsero lands in hospitals in KOR

May be prescribed in general hospitals in Korea

Passes drug committees of 20 medical institutions in Korea, including the ‘Big 5’ tertiary hospitals

Proportion of serogroup B patients increases to 78% in Korea...raising the need for a serogroup B vaccine

The next-generation meningococcal vaccine, ‘Bexsero’ can now be prescribed in general hospitals in Korea.

 

According to industry sources, GSK Korea’s Bexsero, the first meningococcal B vaccine introduced to Korea, has passed the drug committees (DCs) of the Big 5 tertiary hospitals, including Samsung Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul St.

 

Mary's Hospital, Seoul Asan Medical Center, and Sinchon Severance Hospital.

 

Kyungpook National University Hospital, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Inje University Paik Hospital, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seogwipo Medical Center, Ajou University Hospital, and Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital.

 

Meningococcal infections can cause invasive meningococcal infections, meningitis, and sepsis.

 

Invasive meningococcal infection progresses rapidly and can cause death within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

 

Even with treatment, the disease is deadly, with a fatality rate of 8-15%.

 

Typical serogroups of meningococci that cause invasive meningococcal infections in humans include A, B, C, W, X, and Y.

 

The most predominant meningococcal serogroup in Korea, the United States, and Europe are serogroup B, with high levels found in infancy and adolescence.

 

From 2010 to 2016, the proportion of meningococcal B serogroup cases identified in Korea was 28%, but from 2017 to 2020, the rate increased significantly to 78%.

 

Meningococcal B's capsular polysaccharide is structurally similar to human tissue, which has made vaccine development challenging due to the risk of autoimmune damage.

 

GSK developed Bexsero by applying novel technologies that employ genome sequencing.

 

Since its initial European approval in 2013, GSK has accumulated over a decade of experience in preventing meningococcal B infections, conducting 17 studies on subjects aged 2 months to adults.

 

Professor Hyunmi Kang, Department of Pediatrics at St.

 

Mary's Hospital in Seoul, said, "The prevalence of meningococcal serogroups varies across countries and time periods, so it is not easy to predict.

 

In Korea, serogroup B meningococcal infection cases have increased in recent years, increasing the need for its prevention.”