Public Health

Multiple vaccine co-administration immunogenic and well tolerated in children

Last Updated: 2007-08-22 13:29:25 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Combination diphtheria, tetanus toxoid, acellular pertussis, hepatitis B, and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (DTaP-HepB-IPV) is safe and effective when administered along with a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) and a Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (Hib), according to researchers.

"As new vaccines, including combination vaccines ... come onto the market," lead investigator Dr. Michael Pichichero told Reuters Health, "we need to be sure there are no adverse safety risks to children and that the vaccines can be given together without impacting the immunity response to any of the components."

To that end, Dr. Pichichero of the University of Rochester Medical Center, New York and colleagues studied 575 infants. They were randomized to receive -- at 2, 4 and 6 months of age -- a combination of the vaccines, all vaccines given separately, or DTaP-HepB-IPV and Hib with PCV-7 given 2 weeks later.

As reported in the July issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, the immunogenicity of the combined DTaP-HepB-IPV vaccine co-administered with Hib and PCV-7 vaccines was at least as good as that of separately administered DTaP, HepB, IPV, Hib, and PCV-7 vaccines, for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and poliovirus antibody responses.

Seroprotection rates for hepatitis B were above 98% for all groups and immunologic responses to Hib and PCV-7 vaccines showed no differences between groups.

Thus, concluded Dr. Pichichero, "the commonly used pediatric combination vaccine, Pediarix from GlaxoSmithKline, can be given at the same time as two other vaccines ... as part of the routine infant immunization schedule advocated by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control."

J Pediatr 2007;151:43-49.