FDA Approves a New Combination Vaccine to Fight Whooping Cough

The FDA has approved sanofi-aventis' Adacel, a new vaccine for a single booster immunization against pertussis (whooping cough), in combination with tetanus and diphtheria.

Approved for use in adolescents and adults ages 11 to 64, Adacel is the first vaccine cleared as a pertussis booster for adults.

Adacel contains the same components as sanofi-aventis' Daptacel, a vaccine indicated for infants and children, but the diphtheria toxoid and one of the pertussis components are in reduced quantities. The FDA approved a similar vaccine -- GlaxoSmithKline's Boostrix -- in May for use in adolescents 10 to 18 years of age.