Physicians have another weapon in the battle against childhood meningitis. On Thursday, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration granted approval for a combination vaccine designed to prevent bacterial meningitis in children.
The new vaccine, called MenHibrix, was developed GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK). It becomes the first meningitis vaccine approved for use in children as young as six weeks old, Dow Jones noted. The vaccine can be given to babies in four doses spaced between two and 15 months. That puts it in line with the typical vaccination schedule for very young children.
MenHibrix targets meningitis and other illnesses that stem from exposure to the Neisseria meningitidis serogroups C and Y and Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria. These bacteria can cause potentially fatal bloodstream infections.
In May, GlaxoSmithKline launched a $2.6 billion hostile takeover bid for its long-time research partner Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ:HGSI).
Shares of GlaxoSmithKline slipped fractionally in early Friday trading.
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