UK Regulator Withdraws IXCHIQ Chikungunya Vaccine: Benefit-Risk Balance No Longer Favourable, Product Removed From UK Market
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced in London in October that, on the advice of the Commission on Human Medicines, it has concluded the benefit-risk balance of the IXCHIQ chikungunya vaccine is no longer favourable. The vaccine's UK marketing authorisation has been withdrawn and the product is being removed from the UK market. Healthcare professionals must not prescribe, supply or administer it, and should dispose of stock.
In its October Safety Roundup, the MHRA said travellers to regions where chikungunya circulates should be advised on alternatives, including other chikungunya vaccines and mosquito-bite avoidance. People who have already received the vaccine need take no specific action, but should seek medical advice if concerned and report any suspected side effects through the Yellow Card scheme.
Chikungunya is spread by infected mosquitoes and typically causes fever and joint pain; there is no specific treatment. The MHRA said the decision followed a review of the available safety and effectiveness evidence, with details set out in the accompanying Drug Safety Update.
The agency reminded the public that anyone who suspects a side effect from a vaccine or medicine can speak to a healthcare professional and report it to the MHRA via Yellow Card, which supports the continuous monitoring of medicine safety.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 埃及伊蚊（埃及斑蚊）。NIAID 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Photo by NIAID, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
