Following a rescheduled meeting, on April 16 and 17, 2025, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend the use of GSK's Meningococcal Groups A, B, C, W, and Y Vaccine (Penmenvy) be included in the adolescent meningococcal vaccination schedule. In addition, the ACIP voted to recommend use of Bavarian Nordic's chikungunya vaccine, recombinant (Vimkunya), in individuals aged 12 years and older who will travel to a country or territory where there is a chikungunya outbreak.^1-3

According to the CDC, recommendations made by the ACIP are pending and forwarded to the director of the CDC for potential final approval. If recommendations are adopted, they are then official CDC policy and are published in the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.^3,4

ACIP recommendation for Penmenvy

The committee voted 15 - 0 to recommend that individuals over 10 years of age receive a single dose of Penmenvy as an alternative to separate dose administration of meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, and Y and serogroup B vaccinations, when both vaccines would be given at the same clinical visit, typically at age 16. If adopted, the recommendation would allow for vaccination against the 5 serogroups in fewer doses.²

Penmenvy was approved by the FDA on February 14, 2025, for use in individuals aged 10 to 25 years, and targets the 5 serogroups of the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria that cause the most invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases globally. The vaccine combines antigenic components of the meningococcal group B vaccine (Bexsero) and meningococcal groups A, C, Y, and W-135 Oligosaccharide Diphtheria CRM197 Conjugate Vaccine (Menveo).⁵

READ MORE: For more on the data that led to the approval of Penmenvy, along with expert reaction to the approval, click here.

ACIP recommendation for Vimkunya

The ACIP voted in favor to recommend the recently-approved chikungunya vaccine, Vimkunya. Specifically, the virus-like particle-based (VLP), single-dose vaccine injection was recommended by the committee for use in persons aged 12 years and older who are traveling to a location in which there is a chikungunya outbreak, according to a press release from the manufacturer Bavarian Nordic A/S.³

The vaccine can also be considered for individuals traveling or taking up residence in a location that does not have a chikungunya outbreak, but is at elevated risk for US travelers if travel is planned for an extended period. The recommendation from ACIP included Vimkunya vaccination for laboratory workers with potential exposure to the chikungunya virus.

The VLP vaccine was also approved on February 14, 2025, with a March 18, 2025 commercial launch announcement in the United States. With the approval, Vimkunya became the first VLP single-dose, pre-filled syringe for chikungunya for the indicated age group of 12 years and older, according to previous coverage from Contemporary Pediatrics. Approval was based on 2 phase 3 clinical trials that enrolled over 3500 healthy individuals. According to study data, Vimkunya induced neutralizing antibodies in up to 97.8% of individuals vaccinated and demonstrated a rapid immune response starting to develop within 1 week.⁶

READ MORE: For more information about the approval and launch of Vimkunya, click here.

References:

1. ACIP meeting information. CDC. Updated March 24, 2025. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/acip/meetings/index.html

2. GSK’s 5-in-1 meningococcal vaccine Penmenvy receives positive recommendation from US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. GSK. Press release. April 16, 2025. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-releases/gsk-s-5-in-1-meningococcal-vaccine-penmenvy-receives-positive-recommendation-from-us-advisory-committee-on-immunization-practices/

3. Bavarian Nordic's chikungunya vaccine receives recommendation from US CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Bavarian Nordic. Press release. April 16, 2025. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.bavarian-nordic.com/media/media/news.aspx?news=7130

4. ACIP recommendations. CDC. January 8, 2025. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/acip/vaccine-recommendations/index.html#:~:text=The%20ACIP%20develops%20recommendations%20on,Mortality%20Weekly%20Report%20(MMWR).

5. Fitch, J. FDA approves GSK's meningococcal ABCWY vaccine. Contemporary Pediatrics. February 14, 2025. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/fda-approves-gsk-s-meningococcal-abcwy-vaccine

6. Fitch, J. Vimkunya chikungunya vaccine launches for ages 12 years and older. Contemporary Pediatrics. March 18, 2025. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/vimkunya-chikungunya-vaccine-launches-for-ages-12-years-and-olderhttps://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/vimkunya-chikungunya-vaccine-launches-for-ages-12-years-and-older