Pre-licensure studies of GSK Biologicals' PEDIARIX vaccine have shown it to be generally safe and unlikely to result in vaccine-associated serious adverse events. This post-licensure study is designed to evaluate relatively uncommon/rare outcomes in a large population cohort.

The outcomes to be assessed include the occurrence of all seizures (with or without fever), medically-attended fever, seizures associated with fever, allergic reactions, outpatient visits and hospitalizations for any cause, and all deaths.

Data collection through the utilization of automated databases at the study site with subset medical record review.

The Protocol Posting has been updated in order to comply with the FDA Amendment Act, Sep 2007.

Results:

Pediatrics published the results of this study in December 2008.

Results: We identified 16 infants (8 with fever) who had a seizure in the diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, hepatitis B, inactivated poliovirus cohort and 15 infants (6 with fever) among control subjects in the 8-day period after receipt of any dose of vaccine. The incidence of all seizures or seizures associated with fever was not significantly different between cohorts. The incidence of medically attended events that were associated with fever in the 4-day period after any dose of vaccine was also similar in both cohorts. As well, no significant differences between the diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, hepatitis B, inactivated poliovirus and control cohorts, were noted in the incidence of allergic reactions within 48 hours of any dose of vaccine, outpatient visits within 21 days, hospitalizations within 21 days, or death within 1 year.

Conclusions: We did not observe a statistically significant increase in any of several clinically important safety events after diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, hepatitis B, inactivated poliovirus vaccination compared with a historical cohort who received separate component vaccines.