The new vaccine protects against five common childhood diseases: Lupus, adenovirus, hepatitis B, poliovirus and rotavirus. It also prevents serious complications from occurring. The vaccine is given in three distinct stages of childhood:
On Thursday, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) announced that the long-awaited Astrazeneca vaccine for the UK had been approved. Research conducted in Europe and the United States had shown that an injection of a single dose of astrazeneca vaccine administered on Thursday followed by a booster shot on Tuesday offers optimal protection against the five diseases. The FDA lifted the proposed ban on Friday, allowing parents in the UK to get their kids their shots. The UK's National Health Service already allows the vaccine to be administered on Wednesdays and Fridays.
On Tuesday, the straits times European Medicines Agency (EMA) lifted the ban implemented on Friday, allowing the UK to get the final dose of the new vaccine. On Wednesday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Union's Council for Research on Cancer (CMC) released statements saying the move is expected to be effective by the end of this month. In the United States, the EMA has jurisdiction over drugs that are under NDA. The European Union's Council on Research on Cancer has authority over medicines that are used for patients with cancer.
The new variant of the vaccine is composed of two doses of interferon, a potent anti-viral agent that has been previously tested only in humans. By introducing a human variant of the drug, pharmaceutical companies hope to find new ways to deliver the antiviral agent to the small intestine. At present, the two-dose regimen is the only approved one for use against this particular type of glomerular pneumonia. One study is underway in Australia using a different approach in which the two variants are introduced simultaneously.
On Thursday, the FDA approved two new dosing schedules. For children and adults who are too young to receive one dose, each dose of the vaccine will be administered every four weeks. For adults who are aged between the ages of five and fourteen years, the vaccine will be administered every eight weeks. An additional schedule is scheduled for use in persons who are pregnant or breastfeeding. These additional doses will help prevent problems with the muscle relaxation necessary for the medication to take effect.
On Friday, the FDA issued a final labeling schedule for the Astrazeneca vaccine. For those who already have the medication, the manufacturer is offering two doses of the delta variant of the product. The manufacturer recommends that these two doses be administered at least two weeks apart, with a three-month gap in between. For those without a prescription, the company recommends that recipients do not exceed the maximum recommended daily dosage of one dose of the vaccine.