Varivax Description

VARIVAX [Varicella Virus Vaccine Live] is a preparation of the Oka/Merck strain of live, attenuated varicella virus. The virus was initially obtained from a child with wild-type varicella, then introduced into human embryonic lung cell cultures, adapted to and propagated in embryonic guinea pig cell cultures and finally propagated in human diploid cell cultures (WI-38). Further passage of the virus for varicella vaccine was performed at Research Laboratories of Merck Sharp & Dohme, LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA in human diploid cell cultures (MRC-5) that were free of adventitious agents. This live, attenuated varicella vaccine is a lyophilized preparation containing sucrose, phosphate, glutamate, processed gelatin, and urea as stabilizers.
Refrigerator-stable VARIVAX, when reconstituted as directed, is a sterile preparation for subcutaneous administration. Each 0.5 mL dose contains the following: a minimum of 1350 plaque forming units (PFU) of Oka/Merck varicella virus when reconstituted and stored at room temperature for 30 minutes, approximately 17 mg of sucrose, 8.3 mg of hydrolyzed gelatin, 3.5 mg of urea, 2.1 mg of sodium chloride, 0.33 mg of monosodium L-glutamate, 0.30 mg of sodium phosphate dibasic, 53 mcg of potassium phosphate monobasic, 53 mcg of potassium chloride. The product also contains residual components of MRC-5 cells including DNA and protein and trace quantities of neomycin and bovine calf serum from MRC-5 culture media. The product contains no preservative.