MMR Vaccine May Soon Have a Competitor

A study published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society concluded saying, ‘if licensed, the Priorix / MMR-RIT vaccine could provide a valid option for the prevention of measles, mumps, and rubella in children, 12-to 15-months-old in the United States.   

Additionally, these researchers said the ‘Priorix / MMR-RIT vaccine would reduce potential risks of a future vaccine shortage'. 

This is important news since there have been significant measles and mumps outbreaks in the USA during 2019. 

In this new study, the researchers assessed the immunogenicity and safety of the Priorix / MMR-RIT vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was compared with those of the existing measles vaccine market leader, MMR II, which is produced by Merck. 

In this phase IIIa, observer-blinded, non-inferiority, lot-to-lot consistency clinical trial NCT01702428, 5,003 healthy children were randomly assigned to receive 1 dose of MMR-RIT (1 of 3 production lots) or MMR II along with other age-recommended routine vaccines. 

The immune responses after vaccination with MMR-RIT were reported to be robust and non-inferior to those after vaccination with the MMR II. 

And, the immunogenicity of the 3 production lots of MMR-RIT was consistent; with more than 97 percent of the children had a seroresponse to MMR components. 

The co-administered vaccines elicited similar immune responses in the MMR-RIT and MMR II groups. 

Both MMR vaccines resulted in comparable reactogenicity profiles, and these researchers reported that approximatively 13 percent of the children experienced a rash related to vaccination, which was slightly higher than the incidence reported in other studies of MMR vaccines. 

The Priorix / MMR-RIT vaccine works by causing the human body to produce its own protective antibodies against these diseases. Priorix is generally given as a single 0.5 mL dose. The same dose is used for children and adults, says GSK. 

Measles, mumps, and rubella are all infectious diseases caused by viruses. All of these diseases are spread person-to-person through the air. 

The diseases are very contagious but are preventable with appropriate immunization.