The company supplied approximately five million doses of Morupar vaccine in 2005, providing most of its production to a limited number of developing countries, largely via the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and approximately 450,000 doses to Italy.
The recall is based on a range of adverse events which are often associated with vaccines such as fever, allergic reactions and swelling of the glands. The company said in a statement that although such side effects were rare it was withdrawing the vaccine as a precautionary measure.
Chiron was also keen to stress that these adverse events do not indicate any long-term risk for patients who have previously received the vaccine.