Developments in Brief : Low-Dose Rabies Vaccine Developed

Campers, international travelers and veterinarians are among those who may benefit from a cheaper low-dose rabies vaccine recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The new vaccine, made from human cell cultures, uses one-tenth of the current vaccine dosage and is much less expensive, according to the FDA.

Users, however, still would be required to take three doses of the vaccine during a three- to four-week period, with a booster shot every two years.

The agency said people who get the low-dose shots will require two high-dose injections if they are subsequently bitten by a rabid animal. Without the pre-exposure vaccine, however, they would require five high-dose shots.

Studies show that the low-dose drug provides adequate immunity in everyone tested, the FDA said.

The first rabies vaccine was produced using rabbit brain tissue. It required 14 to 23 painful injections into the abdominal wall. A vaccine made from duck eggs was introduced in the 1950s, but it also required multiple abdominal injections. The current high-dose human cell culture vaccine was licensed in 1980.