MenB vaccine fails to prevent gonorrhoea in major trial
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- University of New South Wales researchers running the GoGoVax trial found near-identical gonorrhoea infection rates between vaccinated and placebo groups — 291 versus 285 cases over two years — concluding the 4CMenB vaccine offers no meaningful protection.
- 4CMenB vaccine (MenB) was rolled out to gay and bisexual men in the UK from August 2025 after earlier observational studies reported a 38% reduction in gonorrhoea infections, but the GoGoVax authors say their result, combined with two other studies, provides 'strong evidence' the vaccine is not effective for gonorrhoea prevention.
- UK Health Security Agency said it is not changing its advice, with Dr Mary Ramsay noting over 30,000 people in England have already started the vaccination course and that UKHSA's own real-world data will be 'more robust' and published in due course.
- Terrence Higgins Trust head of health programmes Taku Mukiwa called on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to 'reconsider the vaccine programme' if the evidence has shifted, while stressing condoms and regular testing remain the 'cornerstones' of STI prevention.
- Dr Odile Harrison of the University of Oxford called the findings 'disappointing' but said the search for an effective gonorrhoea vaccine must continue, citing the 'continued emergence of antimicrobial resistance' as a major public health threat.
- Gonorrhoea cases in England peaked at 82,592 in 2022 and stood at 63,943 in 2025 — still double the 2015 level — with men who have sex with men the most disproportionately affected group, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Why it matters: Over 30,000 people in England have already begun a vaccine course that three studies now say does not work, and the UK's JCVI is under pressure to reconsider the programme. With gonorrhoea cases in England at 63,943 in 2025 — still double 2015 levels — and antibiotic-resistant strains rising, the loss of a promising tool sharpens the urgency of condom use, regular testing, and the broader hunt for an effective vaccine.
