FDA approves vaccine for childhood illnesses

Merck drug protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox

Updated: 3:04 p.m. ET Sept. 6, 2005
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9229591/

NEW YORK - Merck & Co. Inc. Tuesday said U.S. regulators have approved its combination vaccine to protect children 12 months to 12 years of age against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.

The vaccine, called Proquad, which combines two established Merck vaccines, is the first approved in the United States to target all four diseases in a single shot, Merck said. It is also approved for use as a second dose of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

“The approval of Proquad makes it more likely that more children can gain protection against these four diseases because fewer shots can potentially mean better compliance,” said Henry Shinefield, clinical professor of pediatrics and dermatology at the University of California School of Medicine at San Francisco and a Proquad clinical investigator.

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