Merck Recalls Unsterilized Vaccine; 1.2 million Doses Pulled

Courtney Mills

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Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. recalled some 1.2 million doses of Hib vaccine, after it was revealed through quality control that the vaccines had not undergone proper sterilization techniques. Production equipment used to manufacture the vaccines had not been properly sterilized, so these lots had to be recalled.

The vaccine, known as Haemophilus influenza type b, prevents the spread of bacterial meningitis. 11 lots of the vaccine were recalled by Merck, as well as two lots of Merck's hepatitis B vaccine.

According to the CDC, any children who already received the vaccine already do not need to be vaccinated again, as the vaccine's efficacy was not minimized in any way. If children do not exhibit any problem signs after about one week, then there should not be any reason for concern of contamination.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices and Implants.