‘Game-changing’ UTI vaccine prevents infections for up to nine years
'Many of our participants told us that having the vaccine restored their quality of life.'
People who repeatedly deal with urinary tract infections (UTIs) could avoid regular treatment and hospitalisation thanks to a new vaccine which lasts for up to nine years.
Experts say the oral spray vaccine, which is pineapple flavoured and sprayed underneath the tongue, is a ‘game changer’ for people who deal with continual painful infections.
Around half of women and a fifth of men suffer with UTIs, and there are about 150,000 hospitalisations for them every year, costing the NHS £380million every year.
The infections can be particularly dangerous for older people and can cause irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and potentially trigger lethal falls.
About 6,000 people die from hospital UTIs every year – about four in 100 – but the rate rises to one in 10 for people aged over 95 as it can develop into sepsis and make dementia worse.
Dr Bob Yang, consultant urologist at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, who co-led the research, told the Telegraph: ‘Before having the vaccine, all our participants suffered from recurrent UTIs, and for many women, these can be difficult to treat.
‘Nine years after first receiving this new UTI vaccine, around half of the participants remained infection-free.
‘Overall, this vaccine is safe in the long term and our participants reported having fewer UTIs that were less severe.
‘Many of those who did get a UTI told us that simply drinking plenty of water was enough to treat it.
‘Many of our participants told us that having the vaccine restored their quality of life.’
During a long running trial at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, 89 patients were asked to use the vaccine every day for three months. They were followed up by clinicians regularly over nine years.
Nearly half of the participants (48%) remained entirely infection-free during the nine-year follow-up.
The average infection-free period across the cohort was 54.7 months (four and a half years) – 56.7 months for women and 44.3 months, one year less, for men.
40% of the trial participants reported having second doses of the vaccine after one or two years.
At present ongoing and recurrent UTIs are treated with antibiotics, but antibiotic-resistant infections are now on the rise and drugs are becoming less effective.
The vaccine, known as Uromune, was developed by Spain-based pharmaceutical company Immunotek, and contains whole bacteria of the four most common bugs that cause UTIs in men and women – Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris and Enterococcus Faecalis.
It is licensed in Spain and although it is currently only available off-licence in Britain, experts are hoping it will soon be passed for use on the NHS.
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