Singapore: To further strengthen its vaccine product pipeline, global drug giant Pfizer has inked a $130 million deal with GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals to acquire GSK's quadrivalent meningitis ACWY vaccines, Nimenrix and Mencevax.

Nimenrix offers protection against Neisseria meningitidis, an uncommon but highly contagious disease that can lead to disability and death. Mencevax is a single-dose meningococcal vaccine used to control outbreaks of meningococcal infection and for travelers to countries where the disease is endemic or highly epidemic.

Ms Susan Silbermann, president, Pfizer Vaccine, said, "The addition of Nimenrix and Mencevax is an important milestone for Pfizer Vaccines. Adding these two innovative and complementary vaccines to our current portfolio will allow us to more completely respond to meningococcal disease outbreaks as well as proactively address a critical public health need - the prevention of meningococcal disease across all ages."

With the approval in 2014 of Trumenba (Meningococcal Group B Vaccine) in the US for protection against serogroup B meningococcal disease in individuals, and the acquisition of NeisVac-C for protection against meningococcal disease from Baxter last year, and the addition of these two quadrivalent meningitis vaccines, the company is creating a broad portfolio that is focused on helping prevent meningococcal disease as well as used for outbreak control.