Vials And Syringe

FDA Approves 6 in 1 Combo Vaccine for Babies

by Kate Raines
The Vaccine Reaction

On Dec. 21, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new combination hexavalent vaccine (Vaxelis) that includes antigens for six different diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, poliomyelitis and invasive haemophilus influenza type B.1

Vaccine manufacturers Sanofi Pasteur and Merck jointly developed Vaxelis, which is approved to be given in three doses to children between six weeks and four years of age but children will have to get a separate dose of DTaP vaccine to complete the primary pertussis vaccine series before age four.

The new combination vaccine is expected to be commercially available in the U.S. in 2020.2