Immunogenicity and safety of a new meningococcal A conjugate vaccine in Indian children aged 2-10 years: a phase II/III double-blind randomized controlled trial

This study compares the immunogenicity and safety of a single dose of a new meningococcal A conjugate vaccine (PsA-TT, MenAfriVac™, Serum Institute of India Ltd., Pune) against the meningococcal group A component of a licensed quadrivalent meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PsACWY, Mencevax ACWY(®), GSK, Belgium) 28 days after vaccination in Indian children. This double-blind, randomized, controlled study included 340 Indian children aged 2-10 years enrolled from August to October 2007; 169 children received a dose of PsA-TT while 171 children received a dose of PsACWY. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that 95.2% of children in PsA-TT group had a ≥4-fold response in serum bactericidal titers (rSBA) 28 days post vaccination as compared to 78.2% in the PsACWY group. A significantly higher rSBA GMT (11,209, 95%CI 9708-12,942) was noted in the PsA-TT group when compared to PsACWY group (2838, 95%CI 2368-3401). Almost all children in both vaccine groups had a ≥4-fold response in group A-specific IgG concentration but the IgG GMC was significantly greater in the PsA-TT group (89.1 μg/ml, 95%CI 75.5-105.0) when compared to the PsACWY group (15.3 μg/ml, 95%CI 12.3-19.2). Local and systemic reactions during the 4 days after immunization were similar for both vaccine groups except for tenderness (30.2% in PsA-TT group vs 12.3% in PsACWY group). None of the adverse events or serious adverse events was related to the study vaccines. We conclude that MenAfriVac™ is well tolerated and significantly more immunogenic when compared to a licensed polysaccharide vaccine, in 2-to-10-year-old Indian children.