Stable lyophilized live herpes virus vaccine

• US 5,024,836 A
• Filed: 10/19/1989
• Issued: 06/18/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Merck & Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Merck & Co., Inc.
• Inventors: McAleer, William J., Maigetter, Robert Z., Markus, Henry Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moskowitz, Margaret
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohamed, Abdel A.
• Application Number:
  US07/423,658
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 424/89, 435/235-238
• US Class Current: 424/202.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 2039/5254 avirulent or attenuated
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 2039/70 Multivalent vaccine
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 39/0015 Combination vaccines based on measles-mumps-rubella
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 39/12 Viral antigens
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 39/245 Herpetoviridae, e.g. herpes simplex virus
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2710/16734 Use of virus or viral component as vaccine, e.g. live-attenuated or inactivated virus, VLP, viral protein

Abstract

The invention comprises a lyophilized live herpes virus vaccine that comprises from about 0.5% to about 8% moisture.

Claims

1. A gas injected lyophilized live attenuated varicella virus vaccine which comprises 2% to 8% moisture.

2. The lyophilized live attenuated varicella virus vaccine of claim 1 wherein said moisture content is 2.0 to 2%.

3. The lyophilized live attenuated varicella virus vaccine of claim 1 wherein said moisture content is 2% to 5%.

4. The lyophilized live attenuated varicella virus vaccine of claim 1 wherein said moisture content is 5% to 8%.

5. A lyophilized live attenuated varicella virus vaccine which is combined with a measles vaccine, mumps vaccine, rubella vaccine to form a tetravalent lyophilized vaccine having a moisture content of from 2% to 8% wherein each of said vaccines is present in an immunologically effective amount that is effective to immunize a recipient against each of said viruses.

6. The vaccine of claim 5 wherein the lyophilized vaccine comprises 2% moisture.

7. The vaccine of claim 5 wherein the lyophilized vaccine comprises 2% to 5% moisture.

8. The vaccine of claim 5 wherein the lyophilized vaccine comprises 5% to 8% moisture.