A comparative clinical study to assess safety and reactogenicity of a DTwP-HepB+Hib vaccine

Hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infections are major public health problems in developing countries, including India. Hence, combination vaccines containing DTwP, recombinant hepatitis B and Hib conjugate vaccines have been developed. Here, we report a Phase IV study which assessed safety and reactogenicity of a new DTwP-HepB+Hib vaccine. Three doses of DTwP-HepB+Hib vaccine (Pentavac, Serum Institute of India Ltd) or Tritanrix-HB+Hib (GlaxoSmithKline Beecham) were administered to infants at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age in 2:1 ratio. The subjects were followed till one month after the third dose for safety assessment. Adverse events were captured in structured diaries and physical examinations were performed on each visit. The study was conducted in 1510 infants. Both vaccines caused injection site local and systemic reactions and the incidence was similar in both the groups. The incidence of local solicited reactions was: tenderness 35.9 %-33.6 %; redness 18.1 %-17.2 %; swelling 23.7 %-22.4 %; induration 12.8 % -13.7 %. The percentage of systemic solicited reactions were: diarrhea 2.2 %-2.2 %; drowsiness 3.3 %-3.4 %; fever 14.0 %-11.2 %; irritability 28.1 %-25.4 %; loss of appetite 6.6 %-5.6 %; persistent crying 17.7 %-15.7 %; vomiting 3.5 %-3.0 %. No serious adverse event was caused by the vaccines. The new DTwP-HepB+Hib combination vaccine showed similar safety profile to that of an imported vaccine in Indian infants.