Immunogenicity and Safety of an Investigational Quadrivalent Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Healthy Adolescents

Healthy adolescents were randomized and received a single dose of their assigned vaccines. They were assessed for immunogenicity at baseline (pre-vaccination) and at 30 days post-vaccination. Safety information were collected post-vaccination and throughout the entire study.

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 10 to 17 years on the day of inclusion.
• Informed consent form was signed and dated by the parent(s) or another legally acceptable representative.
• Assent form was signed and dated by the participant.
• Participant and parent legally acceptable representative were able to attend all scheduled visits and comply with all trial procedures.

Exclusion criteria

• Participant was pregnant, or lactating, or of childbearing potential (to be considered of non-childbearing potential, a female must be pre-menarche, surgically sterile, or using an effective method of contraception or abstinence from at least 4 weeks prior to the first vaccination and until at least 4 weeks after the last vaccination).
• Participation in the 4 weeks preceding the first trial vaccination(s) or planned participation during the present trial period in another clinical trial investigating a vaccine, drug, medical device, or medical procedure.
• Receipt of any vaccine in the 4 weeks preceding the first trial vaccination(s) or planned receipt of any vaccine in the 4 weeks prior to or following any trial vaccination except for influenza vaccination, which may be received at least 2 weeks before or after any study vaccines. This exception included monovalent influenza vaccines and multivalent influenza vaccines.
• Previous vaccination against meningococcal disease with either the trial vaccine or any mono- or polyvalent polysaccharide or conjugate meningococcal vaccine containing A, C, W, or Y antigens.
• History of vaccination with any tetanus, diphtheria, or pertussis vaccine within the previous 4 years.
• Previous human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination.
• Receipt of immune globulins, blood or blood-derived products in the past 3 months.
• Known or suspected congenital or acquired immunodeficiency; or receipt of immunosuppressive therapy, such as anti-cancer chemotherapy or radiation therapy, within the preceding 6 months; or long-term systemic corticosteroid therapy (prednisone or equivalent for more than 2 consecutive weeks within the past 3 months).
• History of meningococcal infection, confirmed either clinically, serologically, or microbiologically.
• At high risk for meningococcal infection during the trial (i.e., participants with persistent complement deficiency, with anatomic or functional asplenia, or participants travelling to countries with high endemic or epidemic disease).
• Known systemic hypersensitivity to any of the vaccine components, or history of a life-threatening reaction to the vaccines used in the trial or to a vaccine containing any of the same substances, including encephalopathy (e.g., coma, decreased level of consciousness, prolonged seizures) within 7 days of administration of a previous pertussis antigen-containing vaccine.
• Personal history of Guillain-Barré syndrome.
• Personal history of an Arthus-like reaction after vaccination with a tetanus toxoid-containing vaccine within at least 10 years of the proposed study vaccination.
• Verbal report of thrombocytopenia, contraindicating intramuscular vaccination.
• Bleeding disorder, or receipt of anticoagulants in the 3 weeks preceding inclusion, contraindicating intramuscular vaccination.
• Deprived of freedom by an administrative or court order, or in an emergency setting, or hospitalized involuntarily.
• Current alcohol abuse or drug addiction.
• Chronic illness (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] hepatitis B, hepatitis C) that, in the opinion of the investigator, was at a stage where it might interfere with trial conduct or completion.
• Moderate or severe acute illness/infection (according to investigator judgment) on the day of vaccination or febrile illness (temperature >= 100.4 degree fahrenheit [°F]). A prospective participant was not included in the study until the condition had resolved or the febrile event had subsided.
• Receipt of oral or injectable antibiotic therapy within 72 hours prior to the first blood draw.
• Identified as an Investigator or employee of the Investigator or study center with direct involvement in the proposed study, or identified as an immediate family member (i.e., natural or adopted child) of the Investigator or employee with direct involvement in the proposed study.