Vaccines are crucial for protecting against meningococcal infections, and there are different types for various age groups. Infants as young as 2 months, along with older children starting at 11–12 years, are recommended to receive vaccines targeting serogroups A, C, W, and Y.

In 2014, another vaccine for serotype B became available for high-risk individuals aged over 10 years and adolescents. Currently, there are three vaccines covering serotype ACWY and two for serotype B.

PENBRAYA, a new pentavalent vaccine, includes all five serotypes. It uses Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, W, and Y polysaccharides combined with tetanus toxoid (TT), and the MenB part is made up of recombinant lipidated factor H binding protein (FHbp) variants from serogroup B.

To test PENBRAYA's effectiveness, a phase 3 trial included participants aged 10–25 years in the US and Europe. Researchers compared PENBRAYA with separate administrations of other two types of meningococcal vaccines.

The results showed that PENBRAYA's response against all meningococcal serotypes was just as good, and this held true even for those who had previously received an ACWY-containing meningococcal vaccine. This highlights the vaccine's potential to provide comprehensive protection against multiple meningococcal strains.