Sanofi’s DTaP-Polio Vaccine Gets FDA Nod

Sanofi Pasteur’s new combined Quadracel DTaP plus polio vaccine is about to hit the U.S. market for children four to six years old, following FDA approval last week.

The combined vaccine reduces the number of shots children need for diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis from five to four — the same as the number of polio shots given.

Sanofi Pasteur tested the vaccine in a head-to-head trial against its own Daptacel DTaP vaccine and polio vaccines and found that Quadracel had similar safety and immune-stimulating profiles.

The ability to reduce the number of shots will boost vaccinations, says Michael Smith, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Louisville, Kty., and the company’s lead investigator. — Lena Freund