FDA: Rotavirus Vaccine OK for Use

Doctors can resume giving children either of the two vaccines available for rotavirus, U.S. regulators say. The announcement came nearly two months after doctors were asked to suspend use of one of the vaccines, Rotarix. Bits of DNA from a pig virus had been found in the vaccine. Rotarix is made by GlaxoSmithKline. The FDA said the vaccine was safe and was being suspended as a precaution. The pig virus, porcine circovirus 1, is not known to cause illness in people. In early May, the FDA said the other vaccine, RotaTeq, also contained pig virus DNA. RotaTeq is made by Merck. After completing its investigation, the FDA dropped the suspension of Rotarix. The agency said both vaccines are safe and doctors can use either one. HealthDay News wrote about the announcement May 14.