New combo vaccine could reduce shots

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- An advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing a new combination vaccine that could give children more protection with just one injection.

Infanrix, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is designed to guard against five common childhood diseases: diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B and polio.

Trials of the new vaccine are promising, according to Dr. Joel Ward of the Center for Vaccine Research at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"We found this new five-combination vaccine was just as effective and just as safe as the existing vaccines," he said.

If approved by the FDA, the vaccine could help assure that youngsters get the shots they need when they need them.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one child in five gets at least one extra vaccine each year, while one-third miss at least one vital shot. Missing a vaccine or getting it at the wrong time could expose a child to illness.

Infanrix could help address this problem. And there's another benefit: Combining five vaccines into one would mean fewer painful shots.

The advisory panel will decide whether to recommend that the FDA approve the vaccine. The agency generally follows the advice of its panels.

CNN Medical Correspondent Rhonda Rowland and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - National Immunization Program
American Academy of Pediatrics - Child Health & Safety Information
Immunization Action Coalition and the Hepatitis B Coalition

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