Novartis Bexsero Meningitis Shot Wins EU Agency’s Backing
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Novartis AG won the backing of the European Union’s drug regulator for the Bexsero meningitis shot that Chief Executive Officer Joe Jimenez said was key to returning the company’s vaccines division to profitability.
Novartis should be given authorization to market Bexsero for use in patients starting at 2 months of age, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use said in a statement today. The European Commission usually follows the committee’s recommendations within three months. The shot would be the first inoculation against the meningococcus B bacterium, the biggest cause of meningitis in industrialized countries.