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Poliovirus (inactivated) type 2 (MEF-1 strain) produced on Vero cells is a vaccine component. It is one of three inactivated poliovirus strains — type 1 (Mahoney), type 2 (MEF-1) and type 3 (Saukett) — that together form the polio part of the combination vaccine Infanrix hexa.[3] The full registry name lists it as part of a fixed combination with diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b components.[3]
The product is authorised as a medicine in the European Union under the name Infanrix hexa, with the authorisation holder GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals S.A.[3] A similar vaccine containing inactivated polioviruses, Hexyon, is also authorised in the EU for the same purpose.[5] The substance is classified as a protein-based biological product and is available in a paediatric formulation.[3]
Inactivated poliovirus vaccines contain whole polioviruses that have been killed so they cannot cause disease. When injected, the inactivated virus particles teach the immune system to recognise and build antibodies against poliovirus type 2. If a vaccinated person later encounters the live virus, these antibodies can neutralise it before it damages nerves.[6]
The MEF-1 strain is grown in Vero cells — a cell line originally derived from African green monkey kidney cells — then concentrated, purified and inactivated.[6] This production method is also used for the Sabin-strain inactivated polio vaccine described by the World Health Organization.[6]
In the five registry records provided, the combination vaccine containing this component appears as an auxiliary medicine rather than the main studied substance.[3] The trials themselves investigate meningococcal infections, whooping cough, myasthenia gravis, X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome and complement-mediated kidney disease.[1]–[4]
The vaccine is a suspension for injection given by the intramuscular route.[3] In the authorised product Infanrix hexa it comes as a powder and suspension that are mixed before injection.[3] The related vaccine Hexyon is available in vials and prefilled syringes and requires a prescription.[5] According to the World Health Organization, primary vaccination with inactivated polio vaccine typically consists of three doses starting at around 2 months of age, with a booster at 18 months, administered according to national recommendations.[6]
Across the five trial records, the combination vaccine containing poliovirus (inactivated) type 2 appears in two trials as an auxiliary medicine.[3] The first is a completed Phase 1 study (NCT05082285) in meningococcal infections that enrolled 703 participants and evaluated the safety and immune response to meningococcal vaccines in babies and toddlers.[3] The second is an authorised Phase 2 study (NCT06989359) in complement-mediated kidney disease with 45 participants, where the vaccine is used as a precautionary immunisation alongside the investigational drug ADX-038.[2]
The other three trials — a Phase 3 whooping cough study with 240 participants, a Phase 1 myasthenia gravis study with 135 participants, and a Phase 1/2 X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome study with 6 participants — also list the combination vaccine among their interventions.[4][1][2] In none of these records is poliovirus (inactivated) type 2 the substance under investigation; it serves as a standard childhood or travel vaccine given alongside the studied treatments.
The World Health Organization product information for an inactivated polio vaccine produced on Vero cells notes that appropriate medical treatment such as adrenaline should be readily available in case of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).[6] Vaccination should be postponed in individuals with fever or acute disease, and the product is contraindicated in people with a history of allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine.[6] The EMA summary for Hexyon, a comparable six-in-one vaccine, does not list specific side effect frequencies in the provided excerpt.[5]
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