MERCK VARIVAX VACCINE APPROVED MARCH 17 WITH POSTMARKETING STUDIES REQUIREMENT; 25,000-CHILDREN PHASE IV STUDY WILL BE CONDUCTED THROUGH KAISER
Executive Summary
Merck plans to conduct long-term postmarketing studies of its Varivax chicken pox vaccine in 7,000 children covered by Kaiser Permanente of Northern California. The study is a subset of a 25,000-patient follow-up study planned through the California HMO following FDA's March 17 approval of the live attenuated varicella vaccine (PLA # 93-0395).