Manufacturing Snag Halts Global Shipments of Chickenpox Vaccines

GlaxoSmithKline has halted global shipments of two chickenpox vaccines after a manufacturing problem in late November caused some batches to fail to meet release criteria and standards, the British drugmaker said Tuesday. The snag is leading some countries to urge clinicians to ration their existing stocks.

Affected by the hold are GSK’s Priorix-Tetra live attenuated measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine for patients age 12 months to 12 years and the Varilrix chickenpox vaccine for patients older than nine months, neither of which is marketed in the U.S., GSK said. Supplies currently on shelves are not affected by the manufacturing error.

GSK is investigating the problem, but for the remainder of the first quarter, all global shipments of the two vaccines have stopped, spokeswoman Melinda Stubbee told Device Daily Bulletin. An update on the varicella-containing vaccines will be provided in February, she said. — Lena Freund

Subscribe to Drug Industry Daily for complete coverage of the pharmaceutical industry. Click here for more information.