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American Morning

FDA Approves New Vaccine Likely to Reduce Number of Tears

Aired December 17, 2002 - 08:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The FDA has approved a new vaccine that's likely to reduce the number of tears from children when they visit their pediatrician. It's also likely to raise a fair amount questions, too.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta live at the CNN Center wearing his pediatric hat for us this morning.

Good morning, Sanjay. Size it up for us.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a big deal. It's called Pediarix, and it's a five-in-one combination vaccine, just like you said, and it's been a long time coming, Bill.

Just to put some of the numbers in perspective, in 1980, just 22 years ago, kids were immunized against just four diseases, just four shots. Fast forward now 22 years. They are immunized against 11 diseases, 20 shots before they even reach the age of two. So people have been looking for a combination vaccine. There have been some combination vaccines combining up to three particular vaccines in one. But this combines now five.

Let's look at what this particular vaccine will actually protect against. We're talking about diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, which also is known as pertussis, polio and hepatitis b. All of these combine into one single vaccine. That could reduce the number of shots significantly by about six shots overall, over the child's first two years of life. People are pretty excited about it. It has been approved, and so everyone is just waiting to see if they can actually get it at their pediatrician's office -- Bill.

HEMMER: Many times that FDA stamp of approval tells us a whole lot about what they are finding out on the research side, but five in one, the ultimate question whether or not this is too much at one time. How does that measure?

GUPTA: Well, you know, and there have been a lot of people who have been cautiously optimistic, I'll say, about combination vaccines overall. Do they interact with each other? Is it too much for the baby's immune system to handle? Could they cause side effects? These are some of the answers that have to be answered before a medication, a vaccine in this case, is approved. And there is some reassuring evidence, positive evidence, on all of those fronts. It doesn't appear to have significant downsides; there is so significant reactions between those five vaccines.

It -- the baby's immune system is really remarkable, Bill. It can handle a lot. We've been talking about this, you and I and Paula, with regards to autism in the past. With regards to vaccines, it does appear the baby's immune system can handle it. So it does appears to be a pretty safe and effective vaccine -- Bill.

HEMMER: Quickly, you referred to it in your first answer. Parents, if they are interested, when can they get it, is it available now?

GUPTA: It's approved. They have to actually bring up the numbers of how much is actually going to be in the shelves, quite literally on the shelves for pediatricians to go and get. It will probably be a few months before every pediatrician will have enough of it to start immunizing kids. But it's here, unlike the answer I typically give you, which is, it will be five years before we see it, this one is right around the corner, Bill.

HEMMER: Got it. Good deal. Thank you, Sanjay, good to see you again. Dr. Sanjay Gupta in Atlanta, good to see you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired December 17, 2002 - 08:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The FDA has approved a new vaccine that's likely to reduce the number of tears from children when they visit their pediatrician. It's also likely to raise a fair amount questions, too.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta live at the CNN Center wearing his pediatric hat for us this morning.

Good morning, Sanjay. Size it up for us.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a big deal. It's called Pediarix, and it's a five-in-one combination vaccine, just like you said, and it's been a long time coming, Bill.

Just to put some of the numbers in perspective, in 1980, just 22 years ago, kids were immunized against just four diseases, just four shots. Fast forward now 22 years. They are immunized against 11 diseases, 20 shots before they even reach the age of two. So people have been looking for a combination vaccine. There have been some combination vaccines combining up to three particular vaccines in one. But this combines now five.

Let's look at what this particular vaccine will actually protect against. We're talking about diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, which also is known as pertussis, polio and hepatitis b. All of these combine into one single vaccine. That could reduce the number of shots significantly by about six shots overall, over the child's first two years of life. People are pretty excited about it. It has been approved, and so everyone is just waiting to see if they can actually get it at their pediatrician's office -- Bill.

HEMMER: Many times that FDA stamp of approval tells us a whole lot about what they are finding out on the research side, but five in one, the ultimate question whether or not this is too much at one time. How does that measure?

GUPTA: Well, you know, and there have been a lot of people who have been cautiously optimistic, I'll say, about combination vaccines overall. Do they interact with each other? Is it too much for the baby's immune system to handle? Could they cause side effects? These are some of the answers that have to be answered before a medication, a vaccine in this case, is approved. And there is some reassuring evidence, positive evidence, on all of those fronts. It doesn't appear to have significant downsides; there is so significant reactions between those five vaccines.

It -- the baby's immune system is really remarkable, Bill. It can handle a lot. We've been talking about this, you and I and Paula, with regards to autism in the past. With regards to vaccines, it does appear the baby's immune system can handle it. So it does appears to be a pretty safe and effective vaccine -- Bill.

HEMMER: Quickly, you referred to it in your first answer. Parents, if they are interested, when can they get it, is it available now?

GUPTA: It's approved. They have to actually bring up the numbers of how much is actually going to be in the shelves, quite literally on the shelves for pediatricians to go and get. It will probably be a few months before every pediatrician will have enough of it to start immunizing kids. But it's here, unlike the answer I typically give you, which is, it will be five years before we see it, this one is right around the corner, Bill.

HEMMER: Got it. Good deal. Thank you, Sanjay, good to see you again. Dr. Sanjay Gupta in Atlanta, good to see you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com