Group B Strep Support is encouraged by the news that clinical trials of a group B Strep vaccine have begun.
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer has started a Phase 1 trial of its vaccine, which could prevent many more group B Strep infections than current prevention strategies – not only the early-onset group B Strep infections (in babies aged 0-6 days), but also late-onset group B Strep infection (in babies 7-90 days) and potentially stillbirths and maternal infections caused by group B Strep.
While a safe and effective vaccine is likely many years away, this is an important step towards eradicating group B Strep infection in babies.
“We are delighted that Pfizer is developing a group B Strep vaccine. Group B Strep is the most common cause of severe infection in newborn babies and of meningitis in babies under 3 months, although most of these infections could be prevented. Despite the UK’s risk-based prevention strategy, the rates of these infections have increased for more than a decade.
A safe and effective vaccine is the ‘holy grail’ of GBS prevention and could protect more babies from GBS infection than any other strategy. It is urgently needed and I’m delighted that Pfizer has begun Phase 1 clinical trials towards this.”
