A temporary shortage in the supply of Adacel—the tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccine marketed by Sanofi-Pasteur—announced in September is expected to last until the end of the year.
Boostrix, the Tdap booster vaccine manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is in good supply, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adacel (Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed) is indicated as a booster for adolescents and adults aged 11–64 years, while Boostrix is indicated for adolescents aged 10–18 years.
For information about Adacel availability, call Sanofi-Pasteur at 800-VACCINE.
The supply shortage of Adacel is expected to be resolved by the end of this year, said Susan Watkins, a spokesperson for Sanofi-Pasteur.
A new vaccine production facility in Toronto that will provide a sevenfold increase of the supply of vaccines with pertussis components was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in late August. It has already started to manufacture the DTaP vaccine Daptacel, and will begin producing Adacel next.
In the meantime, Adacel is being manufactured in another facility, but not in large enough quantities to meet the demand, she added.
Dr. Jack Swanson, a pediatrician in Ames, Iowa, said in an interview that his practice had temporarily switched to Boostrix, but would probably resume using Adacel when it became available because he practices in a multispeciality clinic where adults are also treated.
Dr. H. Garry Gardner, a pediatrician in Darien, Ill., said in an interview that his practice was already using Boostrix without any problems.
Updates on the Adacel shortage will be provided on the CDC Web site at www.cdc.gov/nip/news/shortages/default.htm