Following a 2-month delay, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory committee, after meetings this week, made recommendations for three vaccines.
After discussions on several vaccines yesterday and today, the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) today voted on recommendations for GSK's pentavalent (five-strain) meningococcal vaccine, respiratory syncytial vaccine (RSV) use in people ages 50 to 59 years old who are at increased risk for severe disease, and Bavarian Nordic's newly approved vaccine-like particle chikungunya vaccine.
Recommended use for new meningococcal vaccine
For meningococcal vaccines, ACIP recommended that GSK's pentavalent vaccine (Penmenvy), designed to protect against A, B, C, W, and Y serogroups and approved in February, be used when the quadrivalent (four-strain) and meningitis B vaccine are indicated at the same visit.
The recommendation applies to healthy people ages 16 to 23 years old on a routine vaccine schedule when shared clinical decision-making favors meningitis B vaccination. It also applies to people ages 10 years and older who are at increased risk of meningococcal disease.
The vote, and a companion vote on recommending the vaccine for the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which provides free doses for eligible children, passed unanimously.
RSV vaccine for larger group of at-risk adults
In the RSV vaccine vote, ACIP recommended that that adults ages 50 to 59 who are at increased risk of severe disease receive a single dose. The vaccine was previously recommended for all adults ages 75 and older and for those ages 60 to 74 years old who are at increased risk of severe disease.
In recommending the vaccine for risk groups in the younger adult group, the CDC said it would publish clinical considerations that spell out the chronic conditions and other risk factors for severe disease that underpin its advice.
The vote passed 14 to 0, with 1 abstention.
After the vote, several ACIP members urged researchers and the vaccine companies to collect more information on duration of protection for extra clarity. The relatively new vaccine is currently recommended as a single dose for all recommended adult age-groups.
Safety signal for Valneva vaccine affected chikungunya discussion
The advisers also recommended Bavarian Nordic's newly approved chikungunya vaccine (Vimkunya) for adults who are traveling to a country or a territory experiencing an outbreak. They also said the vaccine may be considered for adults before traveling or moving to a country or territory without an outbreak but at an elevated risk for a period of 6 months or longer.
In a separate vote, the group also recommended the vaccine for lab workers who are potentially exposed to the chikungunya virus.
Today's votes also reflected discussions over a potential safety signal for Valneva's live-attenuated chikungunya in adults ages 65 years and older. In early March, the CDC said it was investigating five hospitalizations for cardiac and neurologic events in people ages 65 and older who had received Valneva's Ixchiq vaccine, which received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in November 2023.
With two chikungunya vaccines on the market, the ACIP made similar recommendations for both, except for the age recommendations, and added wording noting that being age 65 and older is a precaution for the live-attenuated Valneva vaccine.
The three chikungunya vaccine votes passed 14 to 0, with 1 abstention.
The CDC will consider the ACIP recommendations before making a final decision. The agency, however, usually adopts ACIP's advice.
