Pentaxim Special Precautions

The immunogenicity of PENTAXIM may be reduced by immunosuppressive treatment or immunodeficiency. It is then recommended to wait until the end of the treatment or disease before vaccinating. Nevertheless, vaccination of subjects with chronic immunodeficiency such as HIV infection is recommended even if the immune response may be limited.
If Guillain-Barre syndrome or brachial neuritis has occurred in subjects following receipt of prior vaccine containing tetanus toxoid, the decision to give any vaccine containing tetanus toxoid should be based on careful consideration of the potential benefits and possible risks of vaccination. Vaccination is usually justified for infants whose primary immunization schedules are incomplete (i.e. fewer than three doses administered).
Do not inject via the intravascular route: make sure the needle does not penetrate a blood vessel. Do not inject via the intradermal route.
As with all injectable vaccines, PENTAXIM must be administered with caution to subjects with thrombocytopenia or a bleeding disorder since bleeding may occur following an intramuscular administration to these subjects.
Vaccination must be preceded by medical history screening (especially with regard to vaccination history and any occurrence of undesirable events) and a clinical examination.
If any of the following events are known to have occurred in temporal relation to receipt of vaccine, the decision to give further doses of pertussis-containing vaccine should be carefully considered: Fever ≥ 40°C within 48 hours not due to another identifiable cause; Collapse or shock-like state (hypotonic-hyporesponsive episode) within 48 hours of vaccination; Persistent, inconsolable crying lasting ≥ 3 hours, occurring within 48 hours of vaccination; Convulsions with or without fever, occurring within 3 days of vaccination.
A history of febrile convulsions not related to a previous vaccine injection is not a contraindication to vaccination.
In this respect, it is particularly important to monitor temperature in the 48 hours following vaccination and to give antipyretic treatment regularly for 48 hours.
A history of afebrile convulsions not related to a previous vaccine injection should be assessed by a specialist before deciding to vaccinate.
In the event of oedematous reactions occurring in the lower limbs occurring after injection of a Haemophilus influenzae type b containing vaccine, the two vaccines, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-poliomyelitis vaccine and the Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine should be administered in two separate injection sites and on two different days.
As with all injectable vaccines, appropriate medical treatment must be readily available and close supervision provided should a rare anaphylactic reaction occur following administration of the vaccine.
PENTAXIM does not protect against invasive diseases caused by serotypes other than Haemophilus influenzae type b, nor against meningitis from other origins.
The potential risk of apnoea and the need for respiratory monitoring for 48-72 h should be considered when administering the primary immunisation series to very premature infants (born ≤ 28 weeks of gestation) and particularly for those with a previous history of respiratory immaturity. As the benefit of vaccination is high in this group of infants, vaccination should not be withheld or delayed.
Interference with laboratory testing: see "Interactions".
PENTAXIM contains phenylalanine, ethanol and sodium: PENTAXIM contains 12.5 micrograms of phenylalanine per 0.5 mL dose. Phenylalanine can be dangerous for people with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic disease characterised by the accumulation of phenylalanine, which cannot be eliminated properly.
PENTAXIM contains 2 mg of alcohol (ethanol) per 0.5 mL dose. The small amount of alcohol in this medicine will not have any noticeable effects.
This medicinal product contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per dose, that is to say essentially 'sodium-free'.
Traceability: In order to improve the traceability of biological medicinal products, the name and the batch number of the administered product should be clearly recorded.
Effects on ability to drive and use machines: Not applicable.
PENTAXIM is intended for paediatric use only.