Novartis submits meningitis B drug for U.S. approval

[June 17, 2014]  ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Novartis said on Tuesday it had submitted its meningitis B vaccine Bexsero for adolescents and young people to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing approval.

Bexsero, a broad coverage vaccine to help protect against meningitis B, is already approved in 34 countries including across the European Union, Canada and Australia, Novartis said.

Novartis has already provided nearly 30,000 doses of Bexsero to students and staff at Princeton University and the University of California Santa Barbara after meningitis B outbreaks on their campuses, the drugmaker said.

(Reporting by Alice Baghdjian)

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