Letter from Health Canada

by | Jan 12, 2007 | Archive, News | 0 comments

Received via Email from Canadian Physicians for Life
January 12, 2007

—– Original Message —–

January 2, 2007
Dear Dr. Johnston,
Thank you for your letter to Minister Smitherman dated November 22, 2006 regarding vaccines developed using a fetal cell line. I am aware that several publicly funded vaccines, recommended for the routine immunization of children, are developed from fetal cell lines.
The Pentacel (combined diptheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-inactivated polio vaccine-haemophilus influenzae b) vaccine was introduced into Ontario’s publicly funded immunization program in 1997 and is currently purchased from Sanofi-Pasteur for use in the publicly funded program.
The Infanrix -IPV-Hib combination vaccine, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, was recently licensed for use in Canada. The poliovirus strains, as in Pediacel, are grown in Vero monkey kidney cell lines.
As you are aware, the Pediacel vaccine, also manufactured by Sanofi-Pasteur, contains the same vaccine components as the Pentacel, but uses the Vero cells (African green monkey kidney cells) to produce the polio component. This vaccine has not been marketed in Canada to date although it is licensed for use in Canada. It is our understanding that Sanofi Pasteur will be replacing the Pentacel vaccine with the Pediacel vaccine shortly, for the Canadian market.
We appreciate your support for the provincially funded immunization program. While we understand the concern of persons opposed to vaccines developed from fetal cell lines, ensuring the security of a safe and effective vaccine supply also needs to be considered when vaccine contracts are awarded.
I trust that the information I have provided is helpful to you.
Sincerely,
Barbara H. Kawa, MD DPH
Senior Medical Consultant/Unit Head
Vaccine Preventable Disease Control and Immunization Unit
Infectious Disease Branch
Public Health Division
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

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