Sanofi Pasteur: Only one dose of H1N1 vaccine needed for children under 9 years old

SWIFTWATER, Pa. Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the Sanofi-Aventis Group, on Wednesday announced that clinical trials of its H1N1 vaccine in infants and children ages 6 months through 9 years was both efficacious and only required one dose.

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention young children are among those of highest priority for immunization with the influenza A(H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine, given the relatively high disease incidence and potential for transmission in this population,” stated Wayne Pisano, president and CEO of Sanofi Pasteur. “As the only company licensed in the U.S. to produce a pediatric influenza vaccine which is licensed for children as young as 6 months of age, it was the highest priority for Sanofi Pasteur to conduct clinical trials to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the pandemic vaccine in children to support decisions on vaccine administration.”