GlaxoSmithKline's Combination Vaccine Offers Fewer Shots for Babies.

Publication: The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News)

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COPYRIGHT 2002 The News & Observer

Byline: Sarah Avery

Dec. 17--A combination vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration could eliminate up to six injections babies typically get in their first year of life, the manufacturer announced Monday.

The vaccine, called Pediarix, offers protection against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and polio. It is made by GlaxoSmithKline, which has one of its U.S. headquarters in Research Triangle Park, and will be on the market in early January.

When it will be available in North Carolina, however, is less certain.

North Carolina is one of 15 states that pays the costs of immunization drugs, and the system has been highly effective in ensuring that children get their vaccinations; two years ago, the state inoculated 88 percent of babies for five key diseases,...

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