BC-Vaccine
Recall,2nd Ld-Writethru/272 Merck recalls 1 million doses of childhood vaccine
to prevent meningitis
By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer
ATLANTA (AP) _ Merck & Co. is recalling
about a million doses of a childhood vaccine, after testing
showed a sterilization problem in a Pennsylvania factory.
The company is not aware of any harm to children
who received the vaccine, known as Hib, which prevents meningitis
and pneumonia. It is a three-dose shot recommended for all
children under 5 and is usually given to infants starting
at two months old.
The recall involves 10 lots of Hib vaccine
and two lots of a combination vaccine for both Hib and hepatitis
B, a Merck spokeswoman said.
She said the company did not find contamination
in the vaccine itself, but in the plant where the vaccine
is produced in West Point, Pa.
Merck, based in Whitehouse Station, N.J.,
is one of the few drug makers that produces a significant
number of vaccines.
While the company took a black eye with its
September 2004 withdrawal of the painkiller Vioxx due to increased
risk of heart attacks and strokes, the company has been performing
well recently. On Tuesday, it gave an upbeat assessment in
its annual briefing for analysts.
Five weeks ago, Merck reached a deal to settle
up to 50,000 Vioxx lawsuits for $4.85 billion, an amount expected
to save the company millions in trial costs.
Its stock price has more than recovered from
its post-Vioxx slump, a two-year-old restructuring plan is
going well and profits are up. For example, Merck posted a
62 percent increase in its third-quarter profit as revenues
jumped by double digits.
