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Dutch Pull Pfizer Vaccines after Infants die |
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Written by Adrian Wozniak
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Saturday, 07 November 2009 |
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Dutch authorities say they have banned use of a batch of Pfizer's
Prevenar, or Prevnar, after three infants died within two weeks of
receiving the anti-infection vaccination.
"On average about 5 to 10 deaths are reported
annually after babies get vaccines," said a spokeswoman for the Dutch
health institute RIVM.
"We now have three cases in a short period, that is unusual and the reason for suspending the batch."
She
said RIVM was investigating the cause of the infants' deaths. Other
batches of Prevenar, known as Prevnar in the United States, will
continue to be used.
Pfizer spokeswoman Gwen Fisher said
preliminary investigations by the company and health authorities had
found no link between the vaccinations and the deaths.
110,000 doses of anti-infection drug
She
said the company initiated the "quarantine" of the batch which she said
contained 110,000 doses of Prevenar, used to prevent pneumonia and
related infections.
Fisher said the three infants also received two unrelated other vaccines as part of routine immunizations.
No
other Prevenar batches were suspended and infants in the Netherlands
will continue to be vaccinated with it as part of routine immunization,
she added.
A spokesman for the European Medicines Agency in
London said its officials were working with the Dutch authorities to
find out if there were any safety issues with the vaccine batch.
The vaccine is one of the most widely used in the world and generated sales for U.S. drugmaker Wyeth of $2.7 billion in 2008.
Wyeth,
which has just been acquired by U.S. rival Pfizer, had asked for the
suspension of batch D66977 of Prevenar, RIVM said in a statement.
Officials at Pfizer in New York could not immediately be reached for comment.
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