FDA licensure of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis adsorbed, hepatitis B (recombinant), and poliovirus vaccine combined, (PEDIARIX) for use in infants.

On December 13, 2002, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed a combined diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis adsorbed (DTaP), hepatitis B (HepB) (recombinant) and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), DTaP-HepB-IPV (PEDIARIX, SmithKline Beecham Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium) for use in infants ages 2, 4, and 6 months. All components in the combined vaccine are recommended for routine use by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the Committee on Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Combination vaccines decrease the number of vaccine injections.