 The pentavalent pediatric vaccine to provide cover against 5 childhood infectious diseases
Published on February 01, 2008 by IndiainteractsViewed 550 times
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine division of Sanofi Aventis and a world leader in vaccine industry, has launched the new pentavalent combination vaccine Pentaxim, the pentavalent pediatric vaccine in India. The pentavalent vaccine is a combination vaccine comprising 5 vaccines namely, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Hib (haemophilus influenzae type b), Inactivated Polio Vaccine
and Acellular pertussis vaccine. This combination vaccine has a very high protective efficacy against five childhood diseases.
Speaking on this occasion, Dr.S.Balasubramanian, Senior Consultant Pediatrician, Kanchi Kamakodi Child Trust Hospital, Chennai said, “Pentaxim™ is a new generation combination vaccine offering protection against several diseases simultaneously. By reducing the number of required injections, Pentaxim™ encourages both public acceptance of vaccination and patient compliance with vaccination schedules. It also offers high immunogenicity and reduces potential reactogenicity. It also aims to provide greater coverage of the population and helps to reduce disease transmission.”
Pentaxim is given to children in 3 dose primary schedule at the age of 6 weeks (1½ month); the 2nd dose is given when the infant is 10 weeks (2½ months) old and a third dose is given when the infant is 14 weeks (3½ months) old. The child receives a booster dose between the 15th and 18th month against all the above 5 diseases.
The Pentavalent vaccine is being currently used in more than 70 countries in the world and it has been seen that administration of these vaccines has gained wide acceptance among the people. Pentaxim offers the benefits of the latest advances in vaccinology, formulated to suit every patient’s and doctor’s requirements and to satisfy the varying vaccination needs and schedules that exist in India. Various clinical trials conducted with Pentaxim, including that in India have demonstrated very high effectiveness of Pentaxim in protection against pertussis, polio, diphtheria, tetanus and haemophilus influenzae infections, which include meningitis and pneumonia. The distinct advantage of Pentaxim is the safety in protection against polio, as it is a killed vaccine and safety and tolerability of pertussis vaccine as it is acellular.
The pentavalent pediatric vaccine is the latest addition to the clinical armamentarium for the prevention of infectious diseases.
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