CDC adds GSK's rotavirus vaccine to list of pediatric recommendations

ATLANTA The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices announced Wednesday that it has allowed GlaxoSmithKline to add a vaccine against rotavirus to a list of child vaccinations.

Rotavirus causes most of the severe diarrhea in babies and kills 20 to 60 children in the U.S. a year while requiring 50,000 to be hospitalized, according to the CDC.

The Food and Drug Administration gave GSK’s vaccine, Rotarix, approval in April. The FDA granted approval to a competing vaccine, Merck’s RotaTeq, two years ago.

RotaTeq had global sales of $190 in the first quarter of 2008, according to Merck financial data.