In Naples the two-day event on vaccination prevention

In collaboration with Adnkronos. A scientific opportunity to promote a comparison between experts which focuses on issues such as the importance of individual protection, the impact of the meningococcal B vaccination on public health and the most appropriate methods to measure it and, finally, an in-depth analysis of the various vaccination strategies present on the national territory. The two-day event sponsored by GSK, GlaxoSmithKline took place in Naples. An appointment, the 'Rising – Differentiation and Extension of Vaccination Offer in Meningitis', dedicated, precisely, to the topic of vaccines.

Starting with the 2017 Vaccination against meningococcus B has been included in the National Vaccination Plan, with an indication of active and free offer for newborns starting from the third month of life (sixty-first day) and in specific risk categories. During 2017, all Italian regions have implemented what is indicated in the National Vaccine Prevention Plan, even if, apparently, the vaccination coverage of newborns has not yet reached the ceiling established by the same text. Furthermore, the catch-up for the vaccination of subjects in the 3-10 age group is active only in some regions and is heterogeneously distributed in terms of offer (free or co-paid).

In June 2018, a change in the summary of product characteristics was made to the four-component meningococcal vaccine in the vaccination schedule for subjects between 3 and 5 months of age (2+1 schedule). Subsequently, data on the efficacy and impact on the field of MenB vaccination in Quebec were released, which confirmed the value and importance of vaccination. In addition, recent data available on antibody persistence and response to a booster dose led to a further change in the product SPC, and opened the discussion on the importance of generating data on the duration of protection.

“We want to be the most innovative and reliable pharmaceutical company in the world – he explains Luis Arosemena, Chairman and CEO GSK – and therefore also in Italy. We have three divisions: prescription drugs, vaccines and consumer Healthcare. Our core and essence lead to research and development. We have brought more than 11 new vaccines in recent years to the world. More than 2500 researchers in the world work on vaccines, of which more than 500 in Italy”.

"Tuscany and other regions have introduced vaccination for meningococcus and the results are very satisfactory. We have seen the number of cases in vaccinated subjects almost disappear. Seeing cases disappear is a truly desirable result", explains Chiara Azzari, scientific coordinator of the Meyer hospital in Florence, who spoke at the event in Naples.

"The effectiveness of vaccines – adds Azzari – it's more than 90%, the probability that people will be protected is therefore really high. Another very big commitment is diagnostics. It is as important as vaccinations because otherwise we do not know what we are fighting against. Molecular diagnostics has solved several problems, identifying the causes of serious pathologies, such as sepsis and meningitis, with methods that are much more sensitive and specific than the criteria we followed before and, moreover, they give us a diagnosis in a few minutes”, concludes Azzari.

“Today I do what I couldn't do 5 years ago,” he says with a smile. Rino Rappuoli, Chief Scientist GSK and CEO GSK Vaccines Italy GSK – It used to be thought that a vaccine for meningococcus B would never be found. Today, those vaccines exist. But it took a long time. We needed new technologies. And they arrived. Only in this way was it possible to find the vaccine. Puglia was the first in the world to start with vaccines, then the other Italian regions and in 2015 Great Britain. Reverse Vaccinology is at state 2.0. Today we can make the structure of antigens, antibodies and antigen-antibodies”.

“I have two children,” says David Serp, production manager. “It is very important to me to do everything I can to protect children from all the diseases that may arise. Vaccines are administered to children but also to people who are healthy. The quality of our products must be impeccable. For example, Bexsero* requires up to two years of work for a single batch, more than 200 analyses are needed. The quality control process requires more than 70% of the time it takes to release a batch.”