SIDE EFFECTS
Clinical Trials Experience
Because clinical trials are
conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse event rates observed in the
clinical trials of a vaccine cannot be directly compared to rates in the
clinical trials of another vaccine, and may not reflect the rates observed in
practice.
A total of 23,849 doses of
PEDIARIX have been administered to 8,088 infants who received one or more doses
as part of the 3-dose series during 14 clinical studies. Common adverse events
that occurred in ≥ 25% of subjects following any dose of PEDIARIX included
local injection site reactions (pain, redness, and swelling), fever, drowsiness,
irritability/fussiness, and loss of appetite. In comparative studies (including
the German and US studies described below), administration of PEDIARIX was
associated with higher rates of fever relative to separately administered
vaccines [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]. The prevalence of fever was
highest on the day of vaccination and the day following vaccination. More than
96% of episodes of fever resolved within the 4-day period following vaccination
(i.e., the period including the day of vaccination and the next 3 days).
In the largest of the 14
studies, conducted in Germany, safety data were available for 4,666 infants who
received PEDIARIX administered concomitantly at separate sites with 1 of 4 Haemophilus
influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccines (GlaxoSmithKline [licensed in
the US only for booster immunization], Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc. [no longer
licensed in the US], Sanofi Pasteur SA [US-licensed], or Merck & Co, Inc.
[US-licensed]) at 3, 4, and 5 months of age and for 768 infants in the control
group that received separate US-licensed vaccines (INFANRIX, Hib conjugate
vaccine [Sanofi Pasteur SA], and oral poliovirus vaccine [OPV] [Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; no longer licensed in the US]). In this study,
information on adverse events that occurred within 30 days following
vaccination was collected. More than 95% of study participants were white.
In a US study, the safety of
PEDIARIX administered to 673 infants was compared to the safety of separately
administered INFANRIX, ENGERIX-B® [Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant)], and IPV
(Sanofi Pasteur SA) in 335 infants. In both groups, infants received Hib
conjugate vaccine (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc.; no longer licensed in the US)
and 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
concomitantly at separate sites. All vaccines were administered at 2, 4, and 6
months of age. Data on solicited local reactions and general adverse events
were collected by parents using standardized diary cards for consecutive days following each vaccine dose (i.e., day of
vaccination and the next 3 days). Telephone follow-up was conducted 1 month and
6 months after the third vaccination to inquire about serious adverse events.
At the 6-month follow-up, information also was collected on new onset of chronic illnesses. A total of 638 subjects who
received PEDIARIX and 313 subjects who received INFANRIX, ENGERIX-B, and IPV
completed the 6-month follow-up. Among subjects in both study groups combined,
69% were white, 18% were Hispanic, 7% were black, 3% were Oriental, and 3% were
of other racial/ethnic groups.
Solicited Adverse Events
Data on solicited local
reactions and general adverse events from the US safety study are presented in
Table 1. This study was powered to evaluate fever > 101.3°F following dose 1.
The rate of fever ≥ 100.4°F following each dose was significantly higher in
the group that received PEDIARIX compared to separately administered vaccines.
Other statistically significant differences between groups in rates of fever,
as well as other solicited adverse events, are noted in Table 1. Medical
attention (a visit to or from medical personnel) for fever within 4 days
following vaccination was sought in the group who received PEDIARIX for 8
infants after the first dose (1.2%), 1 infant following the second dose (0.2%),
and 5 infants following the third dose (0.8%) (Table 1). Following dose 2,
medical attention for fever was sought for 2 infants (0.6%) who received
separately administered vaccines (Table 1). Among infants who had a medical
visit for fever within 4 days following vaccination, 9 of 14 who received
PEDIARIX and 1 of 2 who received separately administered vaccines, had one or
more diagnostic studies performed to evaluate the cause of fever.
Table 1: Percentage of
Infants With Solicited Local Reactions or General Adverse Events Within 4 Days
of Vaccinationa at 2, 4, and 6 Months of Age With PEDIARIX Administered
Concomitantly With Hib Conjugate Vaccine and 7-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate
Vaccine (PCV7) or With Separate Concomitant Administration of INFANRIX, ENGERIX-B,
IPV, Hib Conjugate Vaccine, and PCV7 (Modified Intent To Treat Cohort)
|
PEDIARIX, Hib Vaccine, & PCV7 |
INFANRIX, ENGERIX-B, IPV, Hib Vaccine, & PCV7 |
Dose 1 |
Dose 2 |
Dose 3 |
Dose 1 |
Dose 2 |
Dose 3 |
Localb |
N |
671 |
653 |
648 |
335 |
323 |
315 |
Pain, any |
36.1 |
36.1 |
31.2 |
31.9 |
30 |
29.8 |
Pain, grade 2 or 3 |
11.5 |
10.9 |
10.6 |
9 |
8.7 |
8.9 |
Pain, grade 3 |
2.4 |
2.5 |
1.7 |
2.7 |
1.5 |
1.3 |
Redness, any |
24.9c |
37.2 |
40.1 |
18.2 |
32.8 |
39 |
Redness, > 5 mm |
6.0c |
9.6c |
12.7c |
1.8 |
5.9 |
7.3 |
Redness, > 20 mm |
0.9 |
1.2c |
2.8 |
0.3 |
0 |
1.9 |
Swelling, any |
17.3c |
26.5c |
28.7 |
9.6 |
20.4 |
24.8 |
Swelling, > 5 mm |
5.8c |
9.6c |
9.3c |
1.8 |
5 |
4.1 |
Swelling, > 20 mm |
1.9 |
2.5c |
3.1 |
0.6 |
0 |
1.3 |
General |
N |
667 |
644 |
645 |
333 |
321 |
311 |
Feverd, > 100.4°F |
27.9c |
38.8c |
33.5c |
19.8 |
30.2 |
23.8 |
Feverd, > 101.3°F |
7 |
14.1c |
8.8 |
4.5 |
9.7 |
5.8 |
Feverd, > 102.2°F |
2. 2c |
3.6 |
3.4 |
0.3 |
3.1 |
2.3 |
Feverd, > 103.1 °F |
0.4 |
1.4 |
1.1 |
0 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
Feverd, M.A. |
1.2c |
0.2 |
0.8 |
0 |
0.6 |
0 |
N |
671 |
653 |
648 |
335 |
323 |
315 |
Drowsiness, any |
57.2 |
51.6 |
40.9 |
54 |
48.3 |
38.4 |
Drowsiness, grade 2 or 3 |
15.8 |
13.8 |
11.4 |
17.6 |
12.4 |
11.1 |
Drowsiness, grade 3 |
2.5 |
1.2 |
0.9 |
3.6 |
0.6 |
1.9 |
Irritability/Fussiness, any |
60.5 |
64.9 |
61.1 |
61.5 |
61.6 |
56.5 |
Irritability/Fussiness, grade 2 or 3 |
19.8 |
27.9c |
25.2c |
19.4 |
21.1 |
19.4 |
Irritability/Fussiness, grade 3 |
3.4 |
4.4 |
3.5 |
3.9 |
3.4 |
3.2 |
Loss of appetite, any |
30.4 |
30.6 |
26.2 |
27.8 |
26.6 |
23.8 |
Loss of appetite, grade 2 or 3 |
6.6 |
7.8c |
5.9 |
5.1 |
3.4 |
5.4 |
Loss of appetite, grade 3 |
0.7 |
0.3 |
0.2 |
0.6 |
0.3 |
0 |
Hib conjugate vaccine (Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals Inc.; no longer licensed in the US); PCV7 (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Inc.); IPV (Sanofi Pasteur SA).
Modified intent to treat cohort = all vaccinated
subjects for whom safety data were available.
N = number of infants for whom at least one symptom sheet was completed; for
fever, numbers exclude missing temperature recordings or tympanic measurements.
M.A. = medically attended (a visit to or from medical
personnel).
Grade 2 defined as sufficiently discomforting to
interfere with daily activities.
Grade 3 defined as preventing normal daily activities.
a Within 4 days of vaccination defined as day of vaccination and the
next 3 days.
b Local reactions at the injection site for PEDIARIX or INFANRIX.
c Rate significantly higher in the group that received PEDIARIX
compared to separately administered vaccines [P value < 0.05 (2-sided Fisher
Exact test) or the 95% CI on the difference between groups (Separate minus
PEDIARIX) does not include 0].
d Axillary temperatures increased by 1°C
and oral temperatures increased by 0.5°C to derive equivalent rectal
temperature. |
Serious Adverse Events
Within 30 days following any dose of vaccine in the US safety study in which all subjects received
concomitant Hib and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, 7 serious adverse events
were reported in 7 subjects (1% [7/673]) who received PEDIARIX (1 case each of
pyrexia, gastroenteritis, and culture negative clinical sepsis and 4 cases of
bronchiolitis) and 5 serious adverse events were reported in 4 subjects (1%
[4/335]) who received INFANRIX, ENGERIX-B, and IPV (uteropelvic junction
obstruction and testicular atrophy in one subject and 3 cases of
bronchiolitis).
Deaths
In 14 clinical trials, 5 deaths
were reported among 8,088 (0.06%) recipients of PEDIARIX and 1 death was
reported among 2,287 (0.04%) recipients of comparator vaccines. Causes of death
in the group that received PEDIARIX included 2 cases of Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS) and one case of each of the following: convulsive disorder,
congenital immunodeficiency with sepsis, and neuroblastoma. One case of SIDS
was reported in the comparator group. The rate of SIDS among all recipients of
PEDIARIX across the 14 trials was 0.25/1,000. The rate of SIDS observed for
recipients of PEDIARIX in the German safety study was 0.2/1,000 infants
(reported rate of SIDS in Germany in the latter part of the 1990s was 0.7/1,000
newborns). The reported rate of SIDS in the United States from 1990 to 1994 was
1.2/1,000 live births. By chance alone, some cases of SIDS can be expected to
follow receipt of pertussis-containing vaccines.
Onset of Chronic Illnesses
In the US safety study in which
all subjects received concomitant Hib and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, 21
subjects (3%) who received PEDIARIX and 14 subjects (4%) who received INFANRIX,
ENGERIX-B, and IPV reported new onset of a chronic illness during the period
from 1 to 6 months following the last dose of study vaccines. Among the chronic
illnesses reported in the subjects who received PEDIARIX, there were 4 cases of
asthma and 1 case each of diabetes mellitus and chronic neutropenia. There were
4 cases of asthma in subjects who received INFANRIX, ENGERIX-B, and IPV.
Seizures
In the German safety study over the entire study period, 6 subjects in the group that received PEDIARIX (N =
4,666) reported seizures. Two of these subjects had a febrile seizure, 1 of
whom also developed afebrile seizures. The remaining 4 subjects had afebrile
seizures, including 2 with infantile spasms. Two subjects reported seizures
within 7 days following vaccination (1 subject had both febrile and afebrile
seizures, and 1 subject had afebrile seizures),
corresponding to a rate of 0.22 seizures per 1,000 doses (febrile seizures 0.07
per 1,000 doses, afebrile seizures 0.14 per 1,000 doses). No subject who
received concomitant INFANRIX, Hib vaccine, and OPV (N = 768) reported
seizures. In a separate German study that evaluated the safety of INFANRIX in
22,505 infants who received 66,867 doses of INFANRIX administered as a 3-dose
primary series, the rate of seizures within 7 days of vaccination with INFANRIX
was 13 per 1,000 doses (febrile seizures 0.0
per 1,000 doses, afebrile seizures 0.13 per 1,000 doses).
Over the entire study period in
the US safety study in which all subjects received concomitant Hib and
pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, 4 subjects in the group that received PEDIARIX
(N = 673) reported seizures. Three of these subjects had a febrile seizure and
1 had an afebrile seizure. Over the entire study period, 2 subjects in the
group that received INFANRIX, ENGERIX-B, and IPV (N = 335) reported febrile
seizures. There were no afebrile seizures in this group. No subject in either
study group had seizures within 7 days following vaccination.
Other Neurological Events of Interest
No cases of hypotonic-hyporesponsiveness or encephalopathy were reported in either the
German or US safety studies.
Safety of PEDIARIX After a Previous Dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine
Limited data are available on the safety of administering PEDIARIX after a previous dose of hepatitis B vaccine.
In 2 separate studies, 160 Moldovan infants and 96 US infants, respectively,
received 3 doses of PEDIARIX following 1 previous dose of hepatitis B vaccine.
Neither study was designed to detect significant differences in rates of
adverse events associated with PEDIARIX administered after a previous dose of
hepatitis B vaccine compared to PEDIARIX administered without a previous dose
of hepatitis B vaccine.
Postmarketing Safety
Surveillance Study
In a safety surveillance study
conducted at a health maintenance organization in the US, infants who received
one or more doses of PEDIARIX from approximately mid-2003 through mid-2005 were
compared to age-, gender-, and area-matched historical controls who received
one or more doses of separately administered US-licensed DTaP vaccine from 2002
through approximately mid-2003. Only infants who received 7-valent pneumococcal
conjugate vaccine (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc.) concomitantly with PEDIARIX or
DTaP vaccine were included in the cohorts. Other US-licensed vaccines were
administered according to routine practices at the study sites, but concomitant
administration with PEDIARIX or DTaP was not a criterion for inclusion in the
cohorts. A birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine had been administered routinely to
infants in the historical DTaP control cohort, but not to infants who received
PEDIARIX. For each of Doses 1-3, a random sample of 40,000 infants who received
PEDIARIX was compared to the historical DTaP control cohort for the incidence
of seizures (with or without fever) during the 8-day period following
vaccination. For each dose, random samples of 7,500 infants in each cohort were
also compared for the incidence of medically-attended fever (fever ≥ 100.4°F
that resulted in hospitalization, an emergency department visit, or an
outpatient visit) during the 4- day period following vaccination. Possible
seizures and medical visits plausibly related to fever were identified by searching automated inpatient and
outpatient data files. Medical record reviews of identified events were
conducted to verify the occurrence of seizures or medically- attended fever.
The incidence of verified seizures and medically-attended fever from this study
are presented in Table 2.
Table 2: Â Percentage of
Infants With Seizures (With or Without Fever) Within 8 Days of Vaccination and
Medically-Attended Fever Within 4 Days of Vaccination With PEDIARIX Compared
With Historical Controls
|
PEDIARIX |
Historical DTaP Controls |
Difference (PEDIARIX-DTaP Controls) |
N |
n |
% (95% CI) |
N |
n |
% (95% CI) |
% (95% CI) |
All seizures (with or without fever) |
Dose 1, Days 0-7 |
40,000 |
7 |
0.02 (0.01, 0.04) |
39,232 |
6 |
0.02 (0.01, 0.03) |
0 (-0.02, 0.02) |
Dose 2, Days 0-7 |
40,000 |
3 |
0.01 (0.00, 0.02) |
37,405 |
4 |
0.01 (0.00, 0.03) |
0 (-0.02, 0.01) |
Dose 3, Days 0-7 |
40,000 |
6 |
0.02 (0.01, 0.03) |
40,000 |
5 |
0.01 (0.00, 0.03) |
0 (-0.01, 0.02) |
Total doses |
120,000 |
16 |
0.01 (0.01, 0.02) |
116,637 |
15 |
0.01 (0.01, 0.02) |
0 (-0.01, 0.01) |
Medically-attended fevera |
Dose 1, Days 0-3 |
7,500 |
14 |
0.19 (0.11, 0.30) |
7,500 |
14 |
0.19 (0.11, 0.30) |
0 (-0.14, 0.14) |
Dose 2, Days 0-3 |
7,500 |
25 |
0.33 (0.22, 0.48) |
7,500 |
15 |
0.2 (0.11, 0.33) |
0.13 (-0.03, 0.30) |
Dose 3, Days 0-3 |
7,500 |
21 |
0.28 (0.17, 0.43) |
7,500 |
19 |
0.25 (0.15, 0.39) |
0.03 (-0.14, 0.19) |
Total doses |
22,500 |
60 |
0.27 (0.20, 0.34) |
22,500 |
48 |
0.21 (0.16, 0.28) |
0.05 (-0.01, 0.14) |
DTaP - any US-licensed DTaP
vaccine. Infants received 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals Inc.) concomitantly with each dose of PEDIARIX or DTaP. Other
US-licensed vaccines were administered according to routine practices at the
study sites.
N = number of subjects in the given cohort. n =
number of subjects with events reported in the given cohort.
a Medically-attended fever defined as fever ≥ 100.4°F that
resulted in hospitalization, an emergency department visit, or an outpatient
visit. |
Postmarketing Spontaneous Reports For PEDIARIX
In addition to reports in
clinical trials, worldwide voluntary reports of adverse events received for
PEDIARIX since market introduction of this vaccine are listed below. This list
includes serious adverse events or events which have a suspected causal
connection to components of PEDIARIX. Because these events are reported
voluntarily from a population of uncertain
size, it is not possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a
causal relationship to vaccine exposure.
Cardiac Disorders: Cyanosis.
Gastrointestinal Disorders: Diarrhea, vomiting.
General Disorders and
Administration Site Conditions: Fatigue,
injection site cellulitis, injection site induration, injection site itching,
injection site nodule/lump, injection site reaction, injection site vesicles,
injection site warmth, limb pain, limb swelling.
Immune System Disorders: Anaphylactic reaction, anaphylactoid reaction,
hypersensitivity.
Infections and Infestations: Upper respiratory tract infection.
Investigations: Abnormal liver function tests.
Nervous System Disorders: Bulging fontanelle, depressed level of consciousness,
encephalitis, hypotonia, hypotonic-hyporesponsive episode, lethargy,
somnolence, syncope.
Psychiatric Disorders: Crying, insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, screaming, unusual crying.
Respiratory, Thoracic, and Mediastinal Disorders: Apnea, cough, dyspnea.
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Angioedema, erythema, rash,
urticaria.
Vascular Disorders: Pallor, petechiae.
Postmarketing Spontaneous
Reports For INFANRIX And/Or ENGERIX-B
Worldwide voluntary reports of adverse events received for INFANRIX and/or ENGERIX-B in children younger than
7 years of age but not already reported for PEDIARIX are listed below. This
list includes serious adverse events or events which have a suspected causal
connection to components of INFANRIX and/or ENGERIX-B. Because these events are
reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not possible to
reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to vaccine
exposure.
Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders: Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpuraa,b, lymphadenopathya, thrombocytopeniaa,b.
Gastrointestinal Disorders: Abdominal painb, intussusceptiona,b,
nauseab.
General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: Astheniab, malaiseb.
Hepatobiliary Disorders: Jaundiceb.
Immune System Disorders: Anaphylactic shocka, serum sickness-like
diseaseb.
Musculoskeletal and
Connective Tissue Disorders: Arthralgiab,
arthritisb, muscular weaknessb, myalgiab.
Nervous System Disorders: Encephalopathya, headachea,
meningitisb, neuritisb, neuropathyb, paralysisb.
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue
Disorders: Alopeciab, erythema
multiformeb, lichen planusb, pruritusa,b,
Stevens Johnson syndromea.
Vascular Disorders: Vasculitisb.
a Following INFANRIX (licensed in the United States in
1997).
b Following ENGERIX-B (licensed in the United States in 1989).