Falsified Medical Product Alert N°5/2019

Mencevax ACWY meningitis vaccine: falsified product alert

WHO issued this alert after Niger's Ministry of Public Health called for vigilance on 15 March 2019 about circulation of falsified Mencevax ACWY. WHO said inquiries indicate the supply chain includes other West African countries. Samples were sent for analysis. The alert is numbered 2019 but the WHO page is dated 28 January 2020.¹

Health risk as statedNo explicit health risk statement on the alert page. WHO said no serious adverse reactions had been reported to WHO at that stage.

Issued: 28 January 2020
Issued by: World Health Organization
Name stated on packaging: Packaging bears the Mencevax ACWY brand, genuinely manufactured by GSK for Pfizer. Labels display English text.
Genuine manufacturer's statement: WHO said GSK and Pfizer stated they did not manufacture the listed products and that the batch and expiry combinations do not correspond to genuine records.
Countries where detected: Niger

Batches named in the alert

Listed in Table 1 of the alert

Advice as stated

Do not use the listed products. Anyone who has taken them or had an adverse event or lack of efficacy should seek advice from a health professional and report it to the national authorities. Obtain medical products only from authentic and reliable sources.

Names printed on falsified products are not evidence that the named company made them. Where WHO or a regulator reports the genuine manufacturer's statement, it is shown.

Sources

World Health Organization, Medical Product Alert N°5/2019: Falsified Meningitis vaccines (28 January 2020)