Vaccine Information: VAQTA (Page 2 of 5)

6.2 Post-Marketing Experience

The following additional adverse events have been reported with use of the marketed vaccine. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to a vaccine exposure.

Blood and lymphatic disorders: Thrombocytopenia.Nervous system disorders: Guillain-Barré syndrome; cerebellar ataxia; encephalitis.

Post-Marketing Observational Safety Study

In a post-marketing, 60-day safety surveillance study, conducted at a large health maintenance organization in the United States, a total of 42,110 individuals ≥2 years of age received 1 or 2 doses of VAQTA (13,735 children/adolescents and 28,375 adult subjects). Safety was passively monitored by electronic search of the automated medical records database for emergency room and outpatient visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. Medical charts were reviewed when an event was considered to be possibly vaccine-related by the investigator. None of the serious adverse events identified were assessed as being related to vaccine by the investigator. Diarrhea/gastroenteritis, resulting in outpatient visits, was determined by the investigator to be the only vaccine-related nonserious adverse reaction in the study. There was no vaccine-related adverse reaction identified that had not been reported in earlier clinical trials with VAQTA.

7 DRUG INTERACTIONS

7.1 Use with Other Vaccines

Do not mix VAQTA with any other vaccine in the same syringe or vial. Use separate injection sites and syringes for each vaccine. Please refer to package inserts of coadministered vaccines.

In clinical trials in children, VAQTA was concomitantly administered with one or more of the following US licensed vaccines: Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Virus Vaccine, Live; Varicella Vaccine, Live; Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Adsorbed; Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella Vaccine, Live; Pneumococcal 7-valent Conjugate Vaccine (Diphtheria CRM197 ); and Haemophilus B Conjugate Vaccine (Meningococcal Protein Conjugate). Safety and immunogenicity were similar for concomitantly administered vaccines compared to separately administered vaccines.

In clinical trials in adults, VAQTA was concomitantly administered with typhoid Vi polysaccharide and yellow fever vaccines [see Adverse Reactions (6.1) and Clinical Studies (14.2, 14.7)]. Safety and immunogenicity were similar for concomitantly administered vaccines compared to separately administered vaccines.

7.2 Use with Immune Globulin

VAQTA may be administered concomitantly with Immune Globulin, human, using separate sites and syringes. The recommended vaccination regimen for VAQTA should be followed. Consult the manufacturer’s product circular for the appropriate dosage of Immune Globulin. A booster dose of VAQTA should be administered at the appropriate time as outlined in the recommended regimen for VAQTA [see Clinical Studies (14.5)].

7.3 Immunosuppressive Therapy

If VAQTA is administered to a person receiving immunosuppressive therapy, an adequate immunologic response may not be obtained.

8 USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

8.1 Pregnancy

Risk Summary

All pregnancies have a risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively.

There are no adequate and well-controlled studies designed to evaluate VAQTA in pregnant women. Available post-approval data do not suggest an increased risk of miscarriage or major birth defects in women who received VAQTA during pregnancy.

Developmental toxicity studies have not been conducted with VAQTA in animals.

Data

Human Data

Post-approval adverse reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size. It is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to the vaccine.

In prospectively reported spontaneous post-approval reports from 1995 to 2018, 36 women with a known pregnancy outcome were exposed to VAQTA during pregnancy following the last menstrual period. After excluding induced abortions (n=4) and those with exposure in the third trimester (n=2), there were 30 pregnancies with known outcomes with exposures in the first or second trimester. Miscarriage was reported for 3 of 30 (10%) pregnancies. Major birth defects were reported for 1 of 27 (3.7%) live born infants. The rates of miscarriage and major birth defects were consistent with estimated background rates.

8.2 Lactation

Risk Summary

It is not known whether VAQTA is excreted in human milk. Data are not available to assess the effects of VAQTA on the breastfed infant or on milk production/excretion.

The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for VAQTA and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed child from VAQTA or from the underlying maternal condition. For preventive vaccines the underlying condition is susceptibility to disease prevented by the vaccine.

8.4 Pediatric Use

The safety of VAQTA has been evaluated in 4374 children 12 through 23 months of age, and 2615 children/adolescents 2 through 18 years of age who received at least one 25U dose of VAQTA [see Adverse Reactions (6) and Dosage and Administration (2)].

Safety and effectiveness in infants below 12 months of age have not been established.

8.5 Geriatric Use

In the post-marketing observational safety study which included 42,110 persons who received VAQTA [see Adverse Reactions (6.2)] , 4769 persons were 65 years of age or older and 1073 persons were 75 years of age or older. There were no adverse events judged by the investigator to be vaccine-related in the geriatric study population. In other clinical studies, 68 subjects 65 years of age or older were vaccinated with VAQTA, 10 of whom were 75 years of age or older. No overall differences in safety and immunogenicity were observed between these subjects and younger subjects; however, greater sensitivity of some older individuals cannot be ruled out. Other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger subjects.

8.6 Immunocompromised Individuals

Immunocompromised persons may have a diminished immune response to VAQTA and may not be protected against HAV infection.

11 DESCRIPTION

VAQTA is an inactivated whole virus vaccine derived from hepatitis A virus grown in cell culture in human MRC-5 diploid fibroblasts. It contains inactivated virus of a strain which was originally derived by further serial passage of a proven attenuated strain. The virus is grown, harvested, purified by a combination of physical and high performance liquid chromatographic techniques developed at the Research Laboratories of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, formalin inactivated, and then adsorbed onto amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate.

VAQTA is a sterile suspension for intramuscular injection. One milliliter of the vaccine contains approximately 50U of hepatitis A virus antigen, which is purified and formulated without a preservative. Within the limits of current assay variability, the 50U dose of VAQTA contains less than 0.1 mcg of non-viral protein, less than 4 × 10–6 mcg of DNA, less than 10–4 mcg of bovine albumin, and less than 0.8 mcg of formaldehyde. Other process chemical residuals are less than 10 parts per billion (ppb), including neomycin.

Each 0.5-mL pediatric dose contains 25U of hepatitis A virus antigen and adsorbed onto approximately 0.225 mg of aluminum provided as amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate, and 35 mcg of sodium borate as a pH stabilizer, in 0.9% sodium chloride.

Each 1-mL adult dose contains 50U of hepatitis A virus antigen and adsorbed onto approximately 0.45 mg of aluminum provided as amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate, and 70 mcg of sodium borate as a pH stabilizer, in 0.9% sodium chloride.

12 CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY

12.1 Mechanism of Action

VAQTA has been shown to elicit antibodies to hepatitis A as measured by ELISA.

Protection from hepatitis A disease has been shown to be related to the presence of antibody. However, the lowest titer needed to confer protection has not been determined.

13 NONCLINICAL TOXICOLOGY

13.1 Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility

VAQTA has not been evaluated for its carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or its potential to impair fertility. [See Use in Specific Populations (8).]

14 CLINICAL STUDIES

14.1 Efficacy of VAQTA: The Monroe Clinical Study

The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of VAQTA were evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 1037 susceptible healthy children and adolescents 2 through 16 years of age in a U.S. community with recurrent outbreaks of hepatitis A (The Monroe Efficacy Study). All of these children were Caucasian, and there were 51.5% male and 48.5% female. Each child received an intramuscular dose of VAQTA (25U) (N=519) or placebo (alum diluent) (N=518). Among those individuals who were initially seronegative (measured by a modification of the HAVAB radioimmunoassay [RIA]), seroconversion was achieved in >99% of vaccine recipients within 4 weeks after vaccination. The onset of seroconversion following a single dose of VAQTA was shown to parallel the onset of protection against clinical hepatitis A disease.

Because of the long incubation period of the disease (approximately 20 to 50 days, or longer in children), clinical efficacy was based on confirmed cases 1 of hepatitis A occurring ≥50 days after vaccination in order to exclude any children incubating the infection before vaccination. In subjects who were initially seronegative, the protective efficacy of a single dose of VAQTA was observed to be 100% with 21 cases of clinically confirmed hepatitis A occurring in the placebo group and none in the vaccine group (p<0.001). The number of clinically confirmed cases of hepatitis A ≥30 days after vaccination were also compared. In this analysis, 28 cases of clinically confirmed hepatitis A occurred in the placebo group while none occurred in the vaccine group ≥30 days after vaccination. In addition, it was observed in this trial that no cases of clinically confirmed hepatitis A occurred in the vaccine group after day 16.2 Following demonstration of protection with a single dose and termination of the study, a booster dose was administered to a subset of vaccinees 6, 12, or 18 months after the primary dose.

No cases of clinically confirmed hepatitis A disease ≥50 days after vaccination have occurred in those vaccinees from The Monroe Efficacy Study monitored for up to 9 years.


1
The clinical case definition included all of the following occurring at the same time: 1) one or more typical clinical signs or symptoms of hepatitis A (e.g., jaundice, malaise, fever ≥38.3°C); 2) elevation of hepatitis A IgM antibody (HAVAB-M); 3) elevation of alanine transferase (ALT) ≥2 times the upper limit of normal.
2
One vaccinee did not meet the pre-defined criteria for clinically confirmed hepatitis A but did have positive hepatitis A IgM and borderline liver enzyme (ALT) elevations on days 34, 50, and 58 after vaccination with mild clinical symptoms observed on days 49 and 50.

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