In short
Poliovirus type 2 (inactivated) is a component of combination vaccines that protect against poliomyelitis, a viral disease that can cause paralysis. It is already authorised as a medicine within the fixed combination REVAXIS, held by Sanofi Pasteur Europe.[1] In one completed trial, this vaccine served as a comparator to study whether an acellular pertussis booster can reduce colonisation with Bordetella pertussis in 99 healthy adults.[1]
Key points
- Phase 3 vaccination study completed in healthy adults.
- The trial enrolled 99 participants and used a controlled human infection model.
- Poliovirus type 2 (inactivated) was part of the comparator vaccine (REVAXIS), not the studied vaccine.
- The main outcome measured was Bordetella pertussis colonisation in the nose after challenge.
- The studied vaccine was compared against REVAXIS (diphtheria, tetanus, and polio without pertussis).
What is poliovirus type 2 (inactivated)?
Poliovirus type 2 (inactivated) is one of three inactivated poliovirus strains used in vaccines against poliomyelitis, a viral infection that can cause permanent paralysis.
How does poliovirus type 2 (inactivated) work?
Inactivated poliovirus vaccines work by presenting the immune system with killed poliovirus particles that cannot cause disease but still trigger a protective immune response. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on inactivated poliomyelitis vaccines describe how the vaccine induces neutralising antibodies against the three poliovirus serotypes, including type 2. This antibody response prepares the body to fight off a future poliovirus infection before it can reach the nervous system and cause paralysis.
Which conditions is poliovirus type 2 (inactivated) used or studied for?
- Poliomyelitis — the vaccine is authorised for active immunisation against poliomyelitis caused by poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 in infants, children, and adults.
- Pertussis (whooping cough) — in one completed trial, the combination vaccine containing poliovirus type 2 (inactivated) served as the comparator to investigate whether an acellular pertussis booster reduces Bordetella pertussis colonisation in healthy adults.
How is poliovirus type 2 (inactivated) given?
Poliovirus type 2 (inactivated) is given as part of a suspension for injection. In the clinical trial, REVAXIS was administered as a 0.5 ml injection. The product information for the standalone IPOL vaccine from the FDA describes administration by injection as well.
What do the clinical trials show?
One completed interventional trial used a vaccine containing poliovirus type 2 (inactivated). The study, designated 2023-508416-35-00, was a Phase 3 randomised vaccination study in 99 healthy adults. Its purpose was to investigate whether booster vaccination with a tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis, and inactivated polio vaccine (Tdap-IPV) reduces colonisation with Bordetella pertussis after intranasal challenge, compared to the tetanus, diphtheria, and inactivated polio vaccine (Td-IPV) control group. In this trial, REVAXIS — which contains poliovirus type 2 (inactivated) — was the comparator, not the vaccine under investigation.
The primary outcome was the Bordetella pertussis colonisation rate in the Tdap-IPV and Td-IPV vaccination groups, defined as any positive Bordetella pertussis culture from nasal wash samples taken at any time point between Day 3 and Day 28 after challenge.