| a. Summary of the safety profile In clinical trials, frozen and refrigerator-stable formulations of varicella vaccine (live) (Oka/Merck strain) were administered to approximately 17,000 healthy individuals 12 months of age who were monitored for up to 42 days after each dose. There appeared to be no increased risk for adverse events with the use of VARIVAX in seropositive individuals. The safety profile of refrigerator-stable varicella vaccine (live) (Oka/Merck strain) was generally similar to the safety profile for earlier formulations of the vaccine.In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study among 956 healthy individuals 12 months to 14 years of age, 914 of whom were serologically confirmed to be susceptible to varicella, the only adverse events that occurred at a significantly greater rate in vaccine recipients than in placebo recipients were pain (26.7% versus 18.1%) and redness (5.7% versus 2.4%) at the injection site and non-injection-site varicella-like rash (2.2% versus 0.2%). In a clinical trial, 752 children received VARIVAX, either intramuscularly or subcutaneously. The general safety profile of either administration routes were comparable, although injection-site reactions were less frequent in the IM group (20,9%) compared with the SC group (34,3%). In a post-marketing study with varicella vaccine (live) (Oka/Merck strain), conducted to evaluate short-term safety (follow-up of 30 or 60 days) in approximately 86,000 children, 12 months to 12 years of age, and in 3600 individuals, 13 years of age and older, no vaccine-related serious adverse events were reported.b. Tabulated summary of adverse reactions Clinical studies Across clinical studies in which causality was assessed (5185 subjects), the following adverse events were reported in temporal association with vaccination: Adverse events are ranked under headings of frequency using the following convention:Very common ( 1/10), Common ( 1/100, <1/10), Uncommon ( 1/1000, <1/100), Rare ( 1/10,000, <1/1000) Healthy individuals 12 months to 12 years of age (1 dose) | Adverse events | Frequency | | Blood and the lymphatic system disorders | | Lymphadenopathy, Lymphadenitis, Thrombocytopenia
| Rare
| | Nervous system disorders | | Headache, Somnolence
| Uncommon
| | Apathy, Nervousness, Agitation, Hypersomnia, Dream abnormality, Emotional changes, Gait Abnormality, Febrile Seizure, Tremor
| Rare
| | Eye disorders | | Conjunctivitis
| Uncommon
| | Acute conjunctivitis, Tearing, Edema of the eyelid, Irritation
| Rare
| | Ear and labyrinth disorders | | Ear pain
| Rare
| | Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders | | Cough, Nasal congestion, Respiratory congestion, Rhinorrhoea
| Uncommon
| | Sinusitis, Sneezing, Pulmonary congestion, Epistaxis, Rhinitis, Wheezing, Bronchitis, Respiratory infection, Pneumonia
| Rare
| | Metabolism and nutrition disorders | | Anorexia
| Uncommon
| | Infections and infestations | | Upper respiratory infection
| Common
| | Influenza, Gastroenteritis, Otitis, Otitis media, Pharyngitis, Varicella, Viral exanthema, Viral infection
| Uncommon
| | Infection, Candidiasis, flu-like illness, Non-venomous bite/sting
| Rare
| | Gastrointestinal disorders | | Diarrhoea, Vomiting | Uncommon
| | Abdominal pain, Nausea, Flatulence, Hematochezia, Mouth ulcer | Rare
| | Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders | | Rash, Measles/rubella-like rash, Varicella-like rash (generalized median 5 lesions) | Common
| | Contact dermatitis, Diaper rash, Erythema, Miliaria rubra, Pruritus, Urticaria | Uncommon
| | Flushing, Vesicle, Atopic dermatitis, Eczema, Acne, Herpes simplex, Hive-like rash, Contusion, Dermatitis, Drug eruption, Impetigo, Skin infection, Measles, Sunburn | Rare
| | Musculoskeletal and connective site conditions | | Musculoskeletal pain, Myalgia, Pain of the hip, Leg or neck, Stiffness
| Rare
| | Vascular disorders | | Extravasation
| Rare
| | General disorders and administration site conditions | | Fever | Very common
| | Injection site erythema, Rash, Pain/Tenderness/Soreness, Swelling, and Varicella-like rash (injection site median 2 lesions) | Common
| | Asthenia/fatigue, Injection site ecchymosis, Hematoma, Induration, Rash, Malaise | Uncommon
| | Injection site eczema, Lump, Warmth, Hive-like rash, Discoloration, Inflammation, Stiffness, Trauma, Roughness/Dryness, Edema/Swelling, Pain/Tenderness/Soreness, Warm sensation, Warm to touch, Venipuncture site hemorrhage, Lip abnormality | Rare
| | Psychiatric disorders | | Irritability | Common
| | Crying, Insomnia, Sleep disorder | Uncommon
|
Healthy individuals 12 months to 12 years of age (2 doses received 3 months apart) The following serious adverse events temporally associated with the vaccination were reported in individuals 12 months to 12 years of age given varicella vaccine (live) (Oka/Merck strain): diarrhoea, febrile seizure, fever, post-infectious arthritis, vomiting. The rates of systemic clinical adverse events after a second dose of VARIVAX were generally similar to, or lower than, those seen with the first dose. The rates of injection-site reactions (primarily erythema and swelling) were higher after a second dose (see section 5.1 for study description).Healthy individuals 13 years of age and older (majority received 2 doses 4 to 8 weeks apart) Causality was not assessed in individuals 13 years of age and older with the exception of serious adverse events. However, across clinical studies (1648 subjects) the following events were temporally associated with vaccination:| Adverse events | Frequency | | Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders | | Varicella-like rash (generalized median 5 lesions)
| Common
| | General disorders and administration site conditions | Fever 37.7°C oral, Injection-site erythema, Soreness and Swelling
| Very common
| | Injection-site rash, Pruritus and Varicella-like rash (injection site median 2 lesions)
| Common
| | Injection-site ecchymosis, Hematoma, Induration, Numbness and Warmth
| Uncommon
| | Heaviness, Hyperpigmentation, Stiffness
| Rare
|
Post-Marketing Surveillance The following adverse events have been spontaneously reported in temporal relation to Varivax during worldwide post-marketing use:| Adverse events+ | | Blood and the lymphatic system disorders | | Aplastic anemia, Thrombocytopenia (including idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), Lymphadenopathy
| | Nervous system disorders | | Cerebrovascular accident, Febrile and Non-Febrile Convulsions, Guillain-Barré syndrome, Transverse myelitis, Bell's palsy, Ataxia*, Vertigo/Dizziness, Paresthesia, Aseptic meningitis
| | Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders | | Pneumonitis
| | Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders | | Stevens-Johnson syndrome, Erythema multiforme, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, Secondary bacterial infections of skin and soft tissues, including Impetigo and Cellulitis
| | Infections and infestations | | Encephalitis*, Pharyngitis, Pneumonia*, Herpes zoster* | | General disorders and administration site conditions | | Irritability
| | Immune system disorders | | Anaphylaxis (including anaphylactic shock) and related phenomena such as Angioneurotic Edema, Facial Edema, and Peripheral Edema, Anaphylaxis in individuals with or without an allergic history
| + Because these events are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to vaccine exposure. Consequently, the frequency of these adverse events is qualified as "not known".* These selected adverse events reported with varicella vaccine (live) (Oka/Merck strain) are also a consequence of wild-type varicella infection. There is no indication of an increased risk of these adverse events following vaccination compared with wild-type disease from active post-marketing surveillance studies or passive post-marketing surveillance reporting (see section 5.1 and Post-Marketing Clinical Studies). See section c.Postvaccination rashes in which the Oka/Merck strain was isolated were generally mild (see section 5.1).c. Description of selected adverse reactions Cases of herpes zoster in clinical studies In clinical trials, 12 cases of herpes zoster have been reported in 9543 vaccinated individuals 12 months to 12 years of age during 84,414 person-years of follow-up. This resulted in a calculated incidence of at least 14 cases per 100,000 person-years, compared with 77 cases per 100,000 person-years following wild-type varicella infection. In 1652 vaccinated individuals 13 years of age and older, 2 cases of herpes zoster were reported. All 14 cases were mild and no sequelae were reported. The long-term effect of varicella vaccine (live) (Oka/Merck strain) on the incidence of herpes zoster, particularly in those vaccinees exposed to wild-type varicella, is unknown at present.In another clinical study in individuals 12 months to 12 years of age, there were 2 cases of herpes zoster reported in the group receiving one dose of the vaccine and no cases were reported in the two-dose group. The subjects were followed for 10 years postvaccination.Transmission Based on isolated case reports from post-marketing surveillance, the vaccine virus may rarely be transmitted to contacts of vaccinees who develop or do not develop a varicella-like rash (see section 4.4).Concomitant use of varicella vaccine (live) (Oka/Merck strain) with other pediatric vaccines When varicella vaccine (live) (Oka/Merck strain) was given concurrently with measles, mumps, rubella vaccine (M-M-R II) to 12- to 23-month-old individuals, fever ( 38.9°C; oral equivalent, Days 0 to 42 postvaccination) was reported at a rate of 26-40% (see also section 4.5).d. Other special population Elderly Clinical trial experience has not identified differences in the safety profile between the elderly (individuals 65 years of age) and younger subjects. | |