US approves rotavirus vaccine

05-02-2006 12:57

New York, The US has approved a vaccine against rotavirus, a disease that reportedly kills half a million children across the world every year.

The vaccine - RotaTeq - was found to check life threatening bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting that result from rotavirus, reports the online edition of New York Times.

In one of the largest clinical trials in history, Merck, the medicine's maker tested the vaccine in more than 70,000 children that showed it was safe and remarkably effective.

Rotavirus is a highly contagious virus that causes severe dehydrating diarrhoea in infants and young children.

While deaths in the US are rare, the disease is one of the world's deadliest childhood illnesses, said Umesh Parashar, a medical officer at the respiratory and enteric viruses' branch of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

A set of three oral doses will cost $187.50, making it one of the most expensive vaccines.

Marie-Paule Kieny, director of the initiative for vaccine research at the World Health Organisation, said they were committed to make RotaTeq available at a discount price in the developing countries.