Patient leaflet - REPEVAX SUSPENSION FOR INJECTION IN A PRE-FILLED SYRINGE, DIPHTHERIA TETANUS PERTUSSIS AND POLIOMYELITIS (INACTIVATED) VACCINE
1.what repevax is and what it is used for
REPEVAX (Tdap-IPV) is a vaccine. Vaccines are used to protect against infectious diseases. They work by causing the body to produce its own protection against the bacteria and viruses that cause the targeted diseases.
This vaccine is used to boost protection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough| and poliomyelitis (polio) in children from the age of three years, adolescents and adults following a complete primary course of vaccination.
Use of REPEVAX during pregnancy allows protection to be passed on to the child in the womb to protect her/him from whooping cough during the first few months of life.
Limitations in the protection provided
REPEVAX will only prevent these diseases if they are caused by the bacteria or viruses targeted by the vaccine. You or your child could still get similar diseases if they are caused by other bacteria or viruses.
REPEVAX does not contain any live bacteria or viruses and it cannot cause any of the infectious diseases against which it protects.
Remember that no vaccine can provide complete, life long protection in all people who are vaccinated.
2.what you need to know before repevax is given to you or your child
To make sure that REPEVAX is suitable for you or your child, it is important to tell your doctor or nurse if any of the points below apply to you or your child. If there is anything you do not understand, ask your doctor or nurse to explain.
Do not use REPEVAX if you or your child
- Has had an allergic reaction:
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– to diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis or poliomyelitis vaccines
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– to any of the other ingredients (listed in section 6)
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– to any residual component carried over from manufacture (formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, streptomycin, neomycin, polymyxin B and bovine serum albumin) which may be present in trace amounts.
- has ever had
– a severe reaction affecting the brain within one week after a previous dose of a whooping cough vaccine
- has an acute severe febrile illness. The vaccination should be delayed until you or your child has recovered. A minor illness without fever is not usually a reason to defer vaccination. Your doctor will determine if you or your child should receive REPEVAX.
Warnings and precautions
Tell your doctor or nurse before vaccination if you or your child has:
- received a booster dose of a vaccine for diphtheria and tetanus within the last 4 weeks. In this case you or your child should not receive REPEVAX and your doctor will decide on the basis of official recommendations when you or your child can receive a further injection.
- had a Guillain-Barre syndrome (temporary loss of movement and feeling in all or part of the body) within 6 weeks of a previous dose of a tetanus containing vaccine. Your doctor will decide if you or your child should receive REPEVAX.
- a progressive illness affecting the brain/nerves or uncontrolled fits. Your doctor will first start treatment and vaccinate when the condition has stabilized.
- a poor or reduced immune system, due to:
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– medication (e.g. steroids, chemotherapy or radiotherapy)
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– HIV infection or AIDS
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– any other illness.
The vaccine may not protect as well as it protects people whose immune system is healthy. If possible, vaccination should be postponed until the end of such disease or treatment.
- any problems with the blood that causes easy bruising, or bleeding for a long time after minor cuts (for instance due to a blood disorder such as haemophilia or thrombocytopenia or treatment with blood thinning medicines).
Fainting can occur following, or even before, any needle injection. Therefore tell the doctor or nurse if you or your child fainted in connection with a previous injection.
Other medicines or vaccines and REPEVAX
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you or your child is taking, has recently taken or might take any other medicines.
As REPEVAX does not contain any live bacteria or viruses it can generally be given at the same time as other vaccines or immunoglobulins, but at a different injection site. Studies have demonstrated that REPEVAX can be used at the same time as any of the following vaccines: an inactivated influenza vaccine, a hepatitis B vaccine, and a recombinant Human Papillomavirus vaccine respectively. Injections of more than one vaccine at the same time will be given in different limbs.
If you or your child is receiving medical treatment affecting your or your child's blood or immune system (such as blood thinning medicines, steroids, chemotherapy), please refer to the section „Warnings and precautions“ above.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility
Tell your doctor or nurse if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you might be pregnant or are planning to have a baby. Your doctor will help you decide if you should receive REPEVAX during pregnancy.
Driving and using machines:
It has not been studied if the vaccine affects the ability to drive or use machines. The vaccine has no or negligible influence on the ability to drive and use machines.
REPEVAX contains ethanol
REPEVAX contains 1.01 mg of alcohol (ethanol) in each 0.5 mL dose. The small amount of alcohol in this medicine will not have any noticeable effects.
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3. How and when REPEVAX is given
When you or your child will be given the vaccine
Your doctor will determine if REPEVAX is suitable for you or your child, depending on:
- what vaccines have been given to you or your child in the past
- how many doses of similar vaccines have been given to you or your child in the past
- when the last dose of a similar vaccine was given to you or your child
Your doctor will decide how long you have to wait between vaccinations.
If you are pregnant, the doctor will help you decide if you should receive REPEVAX during pregnancy.
Dosage and method of administration
Who will give you REPEVAX ?
REPEVAX should be given by healthcare professionals who have been trained in the use of vaccines and at a clinic or surgery that is equipped to deal with any rare severe allergic reaction to the vaccine.
Dosage
All age groups for whom REPEVAX is indicated will receive one injection (half a millilitre).
In case you or your child experience an injury which requires preventative action for tetanus disease, your doctor may decide to give REPEVAX with or without tetanus immunoglobulin.
REPEVAX can be used for repeat vaccination. Your doctor will give you advice on repeat vaccination.
Method of administration
Your doctor or nurse will give you the vaccine into a muscle in the upper outer part of the arm (deltoid muscle).
Your doctor or nurse will not give you the vaccine into a blood vessel, into the buttocks or under the skin.
In case of blood clotting disorders they may decide to inject under the skin, although this might result in more local side effects, including a small lump under the skin.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
4. possible side effects
Like all medicines, REPEVAX can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Serious allergic reactions
If any of these symptoms occur after leaving the place where you or your child received the injection, you must consult a doctor IMMEDIATELY.
- difficulty in breathing
- blueness of the tongue or lips
- a rash
- swelling of the face or throat
- low blood pressure causing dizziness or collapse
When these signs or symptoms occur they usually develop very quickly after the injection is given and while you or your child is still in the clinic or doctor's surgery. Serious allergic reactions are a very rare possibility (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people) after receiving any vaccine.
Other side effects
The following side effects were observed during clinical studies carried out in specific age groups.
In children 3 to 6 years of age
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):
- pain
- swelling and redness in the area where the vaccine was injected
- tiredness
- fever (a temperature at or above 37.5°C)
- diarrhoea.
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
- bruising
- itching and skin inflammation in the area where the vaccine was injected
- headache
- nausea
- vomiting
- rashes
- aching or swollen joints
- irritability.
In adolescents (1 1 years of age and older) and adults
Teenagers are a little more likely than adults to have side effects. Most side effects occur within the first 3 days after vaccination.
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):
- pain
- swelling and redness in the area where the vaccine was injected
- headache
- nausea
- aching or swollen joints
- aching muscles
- weakness
- chills.
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
- vomiting
- diarrhoea
- fever (a temperature at or above 38.0°C).
The following additional adverse events have been reported in the various recommended age groups during the commercial use of REPEVAX. The frequency of these adverse events cannot be precisely calculated, as it would be based on voluntary reporting in relation to the estimated number of vaccinated persons.
Lymph node disorder, allergic/serious allergic reactions, fits (convulsions), fainting, paralysis of part or all the body (Guillain-Barre syndrome), facial paralysis, inflammation of the spinal cord, inflammation of the nerves in the arm (brachial neuritis), temporary loss or alteration of sensation in vaccinated limb, dizziness, pain in vaccinated limb, extensive limb swelling (frequently associated with redness, and sometimes with blisters), feeling ill, pale skin, a hard lump (induration) in the area where vaccine was injected, abdominal pain.
Reporting side effects
If you or your child get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA): Yellow Card Scheme at yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safely of this medicine.
5. how to store repevax
Keep out of the sight and reach of children.
REPEVAX must not be used after the expiry date which is stated on the label after „EXP“. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Store in a refrigerator (at 2°C to 8°C). Do not freeze. Discard the vaccine if it has been frozen.
Keep the container in the outer carton in order to protect from light. Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. contents of the pack and other information
What REPEVAX contains
The active substances in each dose (0.5 mL) of vaccine are:
Diphtheria Toxoid not less than 2 International Units (2 Lf)
Tetanus Toxoid not less than 20 International Units (5 Lf)
Pertussis Antigens:
Pertussis Toxoid 2.5 micrograms
Filamentous Haemagglutinin 5 micrograms
Pertactin 3 micrograms
Fimbriae Types 2 and 3 5 micrograms
Inactivated Poliomyelitis Virus (produced in Vero cells):
Type 1 (Mahoney) 40 D antigen units
Type 2 (MEF1) 8 D antigen units
Type 3 (Saukett) 32 D antigen units
Adsorbed on aluminium phosphate 1.5 mg (0.33 mg Al3+)
Aluminium phosphate is included in this vaccine as an adjuvant. Adjuvants are substances included in certain vaccines to accelerate, improve and/or prolong the protective effects of the vaccine.
The other ingredients are: phenoxyethanol, ethanol, polysorbate 80, water for injections
What REPEVAX looks like and contents of the pack
REPEVAX is presented as a suspension for injection in pre-filled syringes (0.5 mL):
- without attached needle – pack size of 1, 10 or 20
- with 1 or 2 separate needles – pack size of 1 or 10 Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Instructions for use
In the absence of compatibility studies, REPEVAX must not be mixed with other medicinal products.
Parenteral products should be inspected visually for extraneous particulate matter and/or discolouration prior to administration. If these conditions exist, the product should not be administered. For needle-free syringes, the needle should be pushed firmly onto the end of the prefilled syringe and rotated through 90 degrees.
Needles should not be recapped.
SANOFI PASTEUR