Petrovax Pharm’s new vaccine, Mentera, offers a locally produced option targeting four meningococcal serogroups, potentially strengthening Russia’s immunisation efforts amid increasing infection cases and industrial localisation achievements.
Russia has registered what Petrovax Pharm says is the country’s first domestically developed quadrivalent vaccine against meningococcal infection, a move that could strengthen supplies of a shot widely seen as important for young children and other vulnerable groups. The company said the Health Ministry has granted registration for Mentera, a vaccine designed to protect against four major meningococcal serogroups: A, C, W and Y.
Petrovax Pharm said its Phase III trials, completed in 2026 across 18 research centres in Russia and involving 240 volunteers, found the vaccine to be comparable with foreign reference products on efficacy, with some immune-response measures coming out higher. The company has said the shot is intended for children from three months old through to adults aged 55, with a dosing schedule that varies by age.
The registration comes against a backdrop of rising concern about meningococcal disease in Russia. Petrovax Pharm said earlier this year that cases had increased sharply, and experts quoted by the company argued that the vaccine should be added to the national immunisation schedule. Meningococcal infection can progress very quickly, and severe forms are known for high mortality and the risk of long-term disability among survivors.
Beyond the public-health case, the project also has industrial significance. Petrovax Pharm says the localisation programme is the first full-cycle technology transfer in Russia for this type of quadrivalent vaccine, including active substance synthesis. The company has put the investment at more than 3 billion roubles and says eventual output could exceed 4 million doses a year, enough to meet domestic demand and potentially supply markets in the former Soviet bloc.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
