In short
Poliovirus type 3 (inactivated) is a component of combination vaccines that protect against poliomyelitis. It appears in products such as REVAXIS, an authorised vaccine used as a comparator in one completed clinical trial involving 99 healthy adults in a pertussis colonisation study. Wild poliovirus type 3 was declared globally eradicated by the WHO in 2019, but inactivated forms remain part of routine immunisation programmes.
Key points
- Poliovirus type 3 (inactivated) is a vaccine component that helps protect against poliomyelitis.
- It is part of the fixed combination vaccine REVAXIS, authorised in the Netherlands.
- In one completed Phase 3 trial, it served as a comparator in a study of pertussis colonisation.
- The trial enrolled 99 healthy adults and compared Tdap-IPV with Td-IPV vaccination.
- The primary outcome measured Bordetella pertussis colonisation in nasal wash samples.
- Wild poliovirus type 3 was declared eradicated worldwide in 2019.
What is poliovirus type 3 (inactivated)?
How does poliovirus type 3 (inactivated) work?
Inactivated poliovirus vaccines contain killed virus particles that cannot cause disease but can still trigger an immune response. When injected, the immune system recognises the viral proteins and produces antibodies against poliovirus type 3, providing protection without infection. The molecular basis of attenuation in the related Sabin strain of poliovirus type 3 has been studied to understand how weakened viruses behave differently from wild-type strains. The WHO notes that the three wild poliovirus strains are immunologically distinct, meaning each must be targeted separately by vaccines.
Which conditions is it used or studied for?
- Poliomyelitis — inactivated poliovirus type 3 is a component of vaccines that protect against polio, a disease that can cause irreversible paralysis or death.
- Pertussis (whooping cough) — in one completed trial, the combination vaccine containing this substance served as a comparison arm in a study investigating whether pertussis booster vaccination reduces Bordetella pertussis colonisation.
How is poliovirus type 3 (inactivated) given?
The substance is formulated as a suspension for injection and is administered by injection. In the REVAXIS product, it is part of a fixed combination with diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid, poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) and poliovirus type 2 (inactivated), given as a 0.5 ml dose. A related pentavalent vaccine, Pentacel, is approved in the United States as a four-dose series in children aged 6 weeks through 4 years, with doses at 2, 4, 6 and 15–18 months of age.
What do the clinical trials show?
One completed clinical trial included poliovirus type 3 (inactivated) as part of the comparison vaccine. The study was a Phase 3 randomised vaccination trial in 99 healthy adults investigating the effects of acellular pertussis vaccine on colonisation with Bordetella pertussis using controlled human infection. The trial compared a Tdap-IPV booster vaccine (containing diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis and inactivated poliovirus components) against a Td-IPV control vaccine (containing diphtheria, tetanus and inactivated poliovirus components, including poliovirus type 3). The primary outcome measured Bordetella pertussis colonisation rate, defined as any positive culture from nasal wash samples at any time point between day 3 and day 28 after challenge.
What side effects are known?
According to the prescribing information for Pentacel, a related vaccine containing inactivated poliovirus, a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) after a previous dose of the vaccine or any of its ingredients is a contraindication. The label does not list additional side effects in the provided excerpt. No side effect data specific to the REVAXIS product are available from the provided sources.