Healthcare information provider Wolters Kluwer Health has announced the addition of information on the European vaccine to fight a meningitis B outbreak to its referential drug information resources, Lexicomp® Online™ and Facts & Comparisons® eAnswers. The rapid response by the Wolters Kluwer Health reference content team demonstrates the speed and proficiency with which the resources are updated to keep clinicians current in a rapidly evolving drug information environment.
Meningitis B does not respond to any of the four vaccines licensed for use in the US. Thus, when eight cases were identified at Princeton University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took the unusual step of requesting permission from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to import Bexsero, the only vaccine proven effective against strain B. Made by Novartis, Bexsero is licensed for use in Europe and Australia.
The FDA granted the emergency request in mid-November, and the vaccine is expected to be available to Princeton students in December. Within days of the approval, a presentation of the vaccine was developed by the in-house team of advanced-degree pharmacists and incorporated into both Lexicomp Online and Facts & Comparison eAnswers.
In December, four new cases of meningitis B were identified at the University of California Santa Barbara, bringing the total between the two universities to 12. As the number of institutions battling the outbreak continues to grow, it is imperative that clinicians across the country have access to current clinical information on the vaccine.
