A Comparison of Safety, Tolerability and Immunogenicity of Oka/Merck Varicella Vaccine and Varilrix(Tm) in Healthy Children

This study compared safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the Oka/ Merck varicella vaccine and VARILRIX(TM) [Oka- RIT strain SmithKline Beecham Biologicals] in healthy children 12-24 months of age. Subjects were randomized in this double blind study to receive either a single dose of Oka/Merck varicella vaccine, (similar to50,000 plaque forming units ( PFU), Group A or similar to16,000 PFU, Group B) or 1 dose of VARILRIX(TM), (similar to40,000 PFU/dose, Group C). Safety profiles in each treatment group were similar. The proportions of subjects achieving a 6-week postvaccination titer greater than or equal to5 gpELISA units in Groups A, B or C were 97.1, 95.2 and 85.6%, respectively. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.