Meningococcal B vaccine rejected for inclusion on free schedule
It is the most common strain of deadly meningococcal disease, but the vaccine for the B strain has again been knocked back for general inclusion on the free government schedule. In July, Donald Peach died, aged 20 months, after contracting the B-strain.
NSW
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There are fears children will die after the vaccine to protect against the most common strain of deadly meningococcal disease has again been knocked back for inclusion on the National Immunisation Program.
There are five strains of meningococcal and, while A, C, Y and W are covered on the NIP, the B-strain of the disease is responsible for the majority or meningococcal cases in Australia.
The vaccine Bexsero has been rejected for the fourth time by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, which cited cost as the main reason.
On Friday, PBAC recommended the listing of Bexsero on the NIP for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and those with rare medical conditions that increase their risks of meningococcal disease but stopped short of listing it for the broader population due to cost.
“The PBAC noted the cost-effectiveness of the vaccine was highly dependent on the incidence … and the incidence was more than six times higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children under five years of age compared with non-Indigenous children.”
Bexsero was first approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in 2013 but is only available on private script at a cost of between $120 and $150 a shot with a minimum of two shots required.
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Only South Australia provides a free B vaccine in a state program.
PBAC previously found the cost — $400 million to vaccinate more than four million children and adolescents — would only “prevent 224 cases of invasive meningococcal disease”.
It equates to $100 per course of two to three shots.
PBAC again questioned the vaccine’s effectiveness in creating herd immunity. Britain, which introduced Bexsero free of charge for babies in 2015, has reported a 42 per cent drop in the number of cases of meningococcal B disease.
Eliza Ault-Connell, who lost both legs to the B strain when she was just 16, now heads up support group Meningococcal Australia.
“Children will continue to die. It is not good enough to just vaccinate the two cohorts, yes it will protect them, that’s fantastic, but there will be no herd protection from this safe effective vaccine,” she said, adding the cost issue will continue to discriminate against those who cannot afford it.
“Not only if families can afford it, but we still know despite all the education, there are still families that assume the NIP vaccines fully and adequately protect their child against meningococcal disease when we know it is not the case.”
In July, Donald and Amy Peach from Quirindi lost their 20-month-old son Donald to the B-strain. They mistakenly believed their son had all shots required to protect against meningococcal but he was only protected against the strains covered on the government schedule.
“Why is it that only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander have access? I’m happy they do, it is a step in the right direction, but we need all children to have free access to this vaccination,” Mrs Peach said.
“I don’t know why they don’t realise who important this vaccine is and why they don’t think it is worth funding to make sure children have a better chance of surviving, or not contracting it at all.”
As of November 30, there have been 56 cases of meningococcal disease in NSW this year with 57 per cent identified as B strain.
A spokeswoman for GlaxoSmithKline, manufacturers of Bexsero, said their submission outlined the total cost to the medical system of not vaccinating.
“The proposed price of Bexsero is comparable to some other vaccines already included on the National Immunisation Program,” she said.
“It is also important to consider that although meningococcal B disease is rare, the outcomes can be fatal and devastating with long term impacts for survivors and families, which should be taken into account when considering the cost and willingness to pay.
“It is now apparent that the system has challenges in assessing the full value of preventive interventions such as vaccines.”
A spokesman for Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, who previously told The Sunday Telegraph he would fast track the vaccine if approved, said “by law the government cannot list a vaccine on the National Immunisation Program unless it has been recommended by the independent medical experts on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee”.
Originally published as Meningococcal B vaccine rejected for inclusion on free schedule
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