Live attenuated measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella zoster virus vaccine (Priorix-Tetra).

The live attenuated tetravalent vaccine against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella zoster viruses (MMRV) is a combination of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and the varicella zoster virus vaccine. The immunogenicity after each dose of a two-dose vaccination course of MMRV vaccine was generally similar to that of two doses of separately administered MMR plus varicella zoster vaccines, or a single dose of separately administered MMR plus varicella zoster vaccines followed by a dose of MMR vaccine, in infants aged 9-24 months. In infants aged 9-24 months administered a two-dose course of MMRV vaccine, geometric mean titers for antibodies against all vaccine antigens increased after the second dose relative to the first dose, with the increase being most pronounced for varicella zoster virus antibodies (10- to 21-fold). MMRV as the second vaccination was immunogenic in children aged 5-6 years who had previously received either MMRV or MMR as the first vaccination at 12-24 months of age. The immunogenicity for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella zoster viruses, in terms of seropositivity and antibody titers, was not altered when MMRV was coadministered with a booster dose of diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, hepatitis B, inactivated poliovirus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine in infants aged 12-23 months. Nor was the immunogenicity of the latter vaccine altered by coadministration. The tolerability profile of MMRV vaccine was comparable to that of separately administered MMR plus varicella zoster vaccines or of MMR vaccine alone. Injection-site redness and fever (rectal temperature > or =38degreesC or axillary temperature > or =37.5degreesC) were the most frequent adverse events in both groups.