FDA Approves Vaccine for Rotavirus - Dangerous Stomach Flu

February 3rd 2006

Researcher - Stanley A. Plotkin, M.D.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that they have approved the licensing of a new vaccine for the rotavirus infection. The rotavirus is responsible for thousands of hospitalizations in the United States and hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world each year.

The ROTATEQ vaccine, developed by Merck & Co, Inc, will be used to protect infants against the highly contagious rotavirus infection. According to the Wistar Institute, this virus is the most common cause of severe dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children.

Early research for this vaccine began in 1980 by scientists from The Wistar Institute and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). In 1991 Merck took on the task of developing the vaccine for the clinic.

During the 1980’s the researchers turned to the idea of reassortants, “taking advantage of the fact that viruses have the ability to borrow genetic material from each other to "reassort" themselves into new strains.” This led to a more efficient vaccine.

Merck has been working on the vaccine after licensing the technology (1992) from Wistar. The new vaccine promises to become a major new tool to promote public health, according to a Wistar press release.

A similar vaccine, Rotashield, was pulled from the market six years ago after it was linked to injuries in “scores of babies.” According to the Boston Globe, vaccine-safety groups are already warning parents to tread cautiously. The parents of 8 million American babies will have a choice, and will need to decide whether to allow doctors to administer it to their children.