British drugmaker GSK announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted an application for review of the company’s 5-in-1 meningococcal vaccine.

GSK’s MenABCWY vaccine candidate will target the five groups of Neisseria meningitidis bacteria (meningococcal serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y) that cause most cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) globally. It combines the antigenic components of GSK’s well-established meningococcal vaccines, Bexsero and Menveo.

Simplified immunization
The company says combining the protection offered by these vaccines into a single vaccine will reduce the number of injections, simplify immunization, and help increase series completion. Just under 12% of US adolescents have had the required two doses of Bexsero, which provides protection against meningococcal group B, the most common group of IMD-causing bacteria in US adolescents and young adults. Menveo prevents IMD caused by meningococcal groups A, C, Y, and W-135.

Among those who contract IMD, one in six will die and one in five may suffer long-term consequences such as brain damage. Teens and young adults are among those at greatest risk of contracting it.