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Sanofi Pasteur introduces Pentaxim in India

Our News Bureau - Mumbai

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine division of Sanofi Aventis, has launched Pentaxim, the pentavalent pediatric vaccine in India. The pentavalent vaccine is a combination vaccine comprising five vaccines namely, tetanus, diphtheria, Hib (haemophilus influenzae type b) vaccine, inactivated polio vaccine and acellular pertussis vaccine. This combination vaccine has a very high protective efficacy against five childhood diseases. Professor A K Dutta, former Director, HOD Pediatrics, Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, New Delhi, and Principal Investigator of Pentaxim clinical trial 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 three dose primary schedule at the age of six weeks. The second dose is given when the infant is ten weeks old, and a third dose is given when the infant is 14 weeks old.

The child receives a booster dose between the 15th and 18th month against all the above five diseases. Professor Enrique Guetirrez, Medical Coordinator, Sanofi Pasteur, Latin America, and an eminent paediatrician and an academician further reiterated, "This 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 those 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. Officials from Sanofi Pasteur said that they aim to popularise the concept of this combination vaccine so that the benefits of acellular pertussis and injectable polio vaccine accrue to as many children as possible. The pentavalent pediatric vaccine is the latest addition to the clinical armamentarium for the prevention of infectious diseases.